After Dark: The Great Clancer War
by Smash King24
Summary: Through means of Chaos Control, Link, Samus and Snake are transported to Clance, right in the middle of a civil war. Can they help a dying race survive while still traumatized by the horrors of Raccoon City? Sequel to Into the Dark & Drawn from the Light.
1. The Sickness

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

**Author's Note:** Just for reference, this story takes place during the same time as After Dark: The Mansion Incident. However, this specific chapter takes place before After Dark: The Mansoin Incdient. Keep that in mind if you'ce read the other story.

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Chapter 1: The Sickness

"Doctor! What's wrong with her?!" shouted Ike as he looked at Zelda in the hospital bed.

She was coughing up blood badly. The clean sheets she was under were turning into a dark crimson colour from all the blood. Zelda's face was a sickly pale colour and her temperature was rising fast. A cold wet cloth was on her forehead but was heating up fast. She couldn't even speak as blood flowed out other mouth.

"I...Ike..."

"What the hell is going on?! You said she would be okay!" said Ike hysterically. Doctor Mario went over to the window and opened it wide. A cool breeze blew into the room. It was a Saturday afternoon and most of the smashers had gone off to relax after the tournament. The sun shined happily into the white room. The weather's mood glared in contrast to the current situation. Zelda had only recently been coming down with a sickness. Mario wiped a sweat drop form his forehead before going back over to Ike and Zelda.

"I don't-a know what's-a going on," he said sadly. Zelda coughed more and Ike cleaned it off her with a bloody cloth.

"You have to know! You're the doctor!" replied Ike.

"She shouldn't-a be reacting like-a this. I was-a so sure-a that her-a magic had-a completely killed off-a the virus as it entered her-a body, but it's-a still there," said the doctor. Mario felt his thick mustache before checking the X-rays on the table. The X-rays were that of Zelda's upper body, more towards the heart area.

"Something-a is not right."

"What do you mean?"

"Look-a here." Ike examined the X-ray scans Mario pointed to. There were three of them. The first two seemed like fairly normal scans. The third one, however, had something dreadfully wrong with it.

"Nothing is wrong in this first one," said the swordsman.

"I-a know. That-a was before-a the new tournament started. But-a if you look-a closely you can-a see the virus." Ike strained his eyes and checked the scan once again, this time bringing it closer to his face. A small, insect like creature could be seen near Zelda's heart in the blood stream.

"Oh my God..."

"I-a know! Look-a at this-a one!" Ike grabbed the second scan and examined it.

"When was this one taken?"

"During-a the tournament."

"The virus is still there. But, it's bigger..."

"Look-a closer!" Ike looked again and noticed smaller creatures spawning from where the original larger one was.

"What! There's more of them in there!"

"They're-a multiplying. Now look at this one which was taken this morning." Ike dropped the two scans back on the table and picked up the third one. What he saw horrified him. All the parasites were of an abnormal size, but the worst part was the fact that they were scattered all over her upper body area. The virus was spreading.

"Doctor..." said Ike as he placed the scan back on the table.

"Yes?"

"Is there any way to stop this thing?"

"No. Not-a that-a I-a know of. I've-a tried everything, but-a nothing seems to be-a working."

"Do you know if the virus has spread throughout the mansion?"

"I-a know for a fact...that-a Zelda is the only one-a with the virus. Just-a do not-a touch the blood. You-a could get-a infected." Ike checked his hands. There was blood on them, but he was wearing sterilized gloves.

"We have to tell the others. She could die."

"She-a will die. There-a is no other way-a to save her. I'm sorry." Ike looked down at the princess. She opened her eyes and stared at him blankly.

"Ike...will I be okay?..." A tear almost came to Ike's eye but he fought it back with all his might. He couldn't lose her now. Not like this.

"You...You're going to be okay. I promise." Zelda smiled at him.

"Thanks, Ike." Ike nodded and then he headed for the door.

"Take care of her, Doc. I'll be back," said Ike without looking at Mario.

"Where-a are you-a going?" asked the doctor. Ike turned to him.

"I'm going to find a cure."

"Ike, there-a is no cure."

"There is. I will find it."

Ike left the room and shut the door behind him. In the hallway, he leaned his head against the wall and started crying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Gimme 200 bucks!" said Sonic laughing. Sonic, Link, Snake and Ganondorf were all sitting at a table in the game room. Link sighed.

"Oaky okay, here's your money," he said as he handed the hedgehog two orange coloured bills.

"Oh yeah! I love this game!"

They were playing Monopoly on the table. Sonic was currently in the lead with a total of $16,784 and 12 properties. They had been playing for over 4 hours. Now that the tournament was over, the smashers were given time off from their matches to catch up in their social lives. Master Hand disappeared into his office after Ike was named champion. He hasn't been seen since then, but none of the brawlers seemed to care. Sonic was having the time of his life. "...5...6...7! You're turn Snake!"

Snake gave a low grunt. He hated board games. Especially games with Sonic because he never shuts up. Snake looked down at the two pink bills in front of him and grabbed the dice.

"If I don't get a God damned double, I swear I'm going to tear someone's head off..." Snake shook the dice violently and tossed them on the table. The two cubes tumbled around on the board before they came to a stop. Double ones.

"Alright!" cheered the mercenary. "I get to go wherever I want!"

"You have to move first, Snake," said Link.

"Oh, okay. 1 and 2. There! Now who owns this green square?"

"That would be me. Gimme 36 dollars," said Ganon.

"What?!" Snake looked down at his bills again. "I only have 10 bucks!"

"You gotta pay."

"But then I'll lose!"

"That IS the point of the game is it not?" Ganondorf rudely swiped Snake's money from under his nose and added it to his pile. "Game over for you." Snake glared at Ganondorf and snarled.

"You cheated."

"No I didn't."

"You must have! I was doing so good!"

"Well you lost so too bad."

"Why I oughta-"

"Hold on Snake!" said Link as he held down his friend. "There's no reason to get upset!"

"Yes there is! He cheated!"

"Look, guys there's no point in arguing over this. It's kind of obvious to see that I already won," boasted Sonic. The other three looked at Sonic's pile of cash. Ganon's eyes moved from the pile to Sonic's smug face, the to his glove. After a few moments of staring at Sonic, Ganondorf stood up.

"You cheater!" he shouted.

"What?" replied the hedgehog. Without hesitation, Ganon pulled Sonic up from his seat and knocked the table over in the process. All the money, pieces, and cards fell on the floor and scattered about.

"Ganondorf! What are you doing!?" said Link. Ganon grabbed Sonic's feet and started shaking him upside down.

"Hey! Hold on a second!" cried Sonic. Suddenly, money started to fall out of Sonic's gloves and socks. The play bills fluttered down to the floor and mixed with the previously fallen money. Snake and Link looked at Sonic angrily. Sonic just smiled. "Um...I was going to donate that to the bank," said the hedgehog. Everyone could tell he was lying through his teeth. Ganondorf clenched his fists on Sonic's ankles.

"You should have known better than to lie to me. I finally have a good reason to knock all your teeth out," said Ganon menacingly.

"Don't do it!" cried Sonic. Snake rolled up his sleeves.

"Please, allow me," he said as he approached the hanging hedgehog.

"Be my guest," responded Ganon. Snake drew back his fist, ready to slam it into Sonic's face.

"What are you guys doing in here?!" shouted a female voice. All the smashers turned to the door. Samus was standing there in her zero suit and looking about the messy room.

"Oh, hey Sam..." said Link. Samus noticed Sonic.

"What the hell are you doing Snake?!" Snake backed off from Ganon and pulled his sleeves back down.

"Um...uh, we were only playing..." he lied.

"Playing my ass! You were going to kill me!" cried Sonic.

"Don't push your luck," said Ganondorf.

"Put him down!" said Samus. Ganon dropped Sonic on the floor and he stood up.

"Oh you'll get yours..."

"Samus, what are you doing here?" asked Link. "I thought you went shopping with Peach and Zelda."

"That's what I came to tell you guys about! Zelda's sick!"

"You interrupted us for that? Just give her a cough drop!" said Snake ignorantly.

"It's not like that! You guys, Zelda's been infected with the virus!"

"WHAT?!" replied Link and Snake. Sonic immediately dashed out of the room and headed to the hospital wing.

"How can that be? Of all times why now? Mario said she could fight off the virus with her magic!" said Link.

"Well, apparently she can't! And the virus is spreading through her body quickly!"

"Shit! Let's go see!" said Snake. The trio left the room, leaving the king of evil all by himself. Ganondorf stood among the mess.

"I guess I'll clean this up then. Thanks guys."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ike banged his head against the wall violently.

"_Why why why why WHY?! Why is she infected?! I thought I saved her! How did they get the virus in her_!?" thought the swordsman. Ragnell was lying idly on the floor near him. He was still standing in the hallway. "_Could it be that I didn't reach her on time? Was I too slow? No that can't be! But it's the only explanation that makes sense_."

"Ike! There you are!" said Link from the other end of the hall. Snake, Samus and the Hylain approached the broken swordsman. "Where's Zelda?"

"She's in there. I...I don't know what to do..." said Ike. He leaned against the wall again. His eyes were red and his face was wet from tears. Link put an arm around him.

"Come on, let's go see her." The four of them entered the room. Zelda was lying under the light of the sun, blood was still stained on the sheets she was in.

"Shit..." muttered Snake. Mario was examining the X-rays again before he noticed the group walk in.

"Ah, you're-a back." Suddenly, Sonic entered the room.

"Huh? How did you guys get here before me!?"

"Shh! She's sleeping!" said Samus as quietly as she could.

"How bad is it, doctor?" asked Link.

"See-a for yourself." Mario handed him the X-rays and he studied them.

"The virus....It's huge."

"I-a know. There is-a not much I-a can-a do for her-a here. Her-a only hope of-a survival is a cure. I-a don't know where-a to get one, though."

"A cure?" Link turned to Samus. "Is there a cure?" he asked.

"I don't know. I can't remember much about there being a cure..."

"Well, there were those herbs, remember?" said Snake. Everyone looked at him.

"Herbs?" asked Ike.

"Yeah, remember those blue and green herbs we found in the city? They cured Dana of her sickness. Maybe they'll work on Zelda?"

"I remember that. But Mike used the herbs too, yet, he still turned into a zombie. How does that work out?" asked Link.

"Hmm, good question..."

"Doctor, do you have any herbs like that here?" asked Samus.

"Herbs? I-a never heard of-a these herbs. All-a the medicine here-a does-a not-a work on her."

"There's none here?"

"And it's not like we can just fly back to Raccoon City and get some," said Snake.

"He's right, we need to think of a new plan. If the herbs are her only hope of surviving, we have to find some somewhere," said Link. They all sat in silence as they pondered their next move. Zelda was sleeping in the bed nearby. Sonic was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Maybe..." he started.

"Oh please, Sonic," said Snake. "The last thing we need is your opinion on the situation. Why don't you run a long and let us handle this."

"Hey, let him speak," said Link. "Go on, Sonic."

"Well, I was thinking, since you know, the city where these herbs are from is gone now, you should just use Chaos Control." The others froze as they took this in.

"Actually...that's not a bad idea..." said Link.

"What the hell is Chaos Control?" asked Snake.

"It allows Sonic to warp through time and space. With a Chaos Emerald, Sonic could use Chaos Control to go back in time. Back to when the city was still standing. He could find some herbs there and warp back to us. Now that I think about it...it's brilliant!" said Link.

"Thank you, thank you," responded Sonic as he took a bow.

"So wait. You mean he can go back in time? Why didn't anyone tell me this!?" shouted Snake.

"Shh!"

"Oh sorry."

"Sonic, can you take us back in time?" asked Samus.

"I sure could! But, I can only take a few people with me at a time. The Chaos Emeralds only have so much power."

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Let's go before she dies!" said Ike.

"Wait wait wait. If we go back there, does that mean those zombies will be there too?" asked Snake.

"Yes. Everything that happened during the time of the outbreak will take place again. That is, unless we interfere with it. We must not do that though."

"Why not?"

"If we go back to the time of the outbreak, there is a very good chance you will run into yourselves."

"What?"

"You may run into yourselves. If we go back, there will be two Links. One from the present and one from the past."

"How the hell does that work?"

"Trust me. It makes perfect sense. Which is why you guys must not run into your doubles when we go there. Otherwise you could somehow cause them to not board the ships. This would eventually result in your deaths."

"Wait you're losing me."

"If we meet your doubles in the past we could all die."

"Was that so hard? That's all you had to say!"

"Hey it's hard to explain! Give me a break here!"

"I understand, Sonic," said Link. "All we have to do is go in, grab the herbs, and get out just as quickly. Simple enough."

"Yep."

"I'm coming with you," said Ike. "Zelda's life is at stake here."

"Okay. Let's not waste anymore time."

"Right." Samus, Ike, Link, Snake and Sonic ran out of the room. Doctor Mario went over to the window and prayed.

"We're going to need some space to do this right," said Sonic as he walked out the main front doors. The others followed. "The parking lot would be our best bet." The group made their way to the parking lot. None of the ships were there. They were all stored away in the large garage. Master Hand could not trust anyone to stay on the grounds so he came up with this new rule.

"You got the emeralds?" asked Link.

"Right here," replied Sonic as the seven glowing gems circled his body.

"Whoa they're floating," said Snake.

"Yeah they tend to do that. Everyone stand in a circle right there in the middle." Everyone did so and the emeralds spun around the entire group. "Concentrate on our destination. I have no idea what it looks like so you guys are going to have to help me out."

The other four closed their eyes and tried to recall the outbreak. The emeralds spun faster as Link remembered the zombies and the lickers. He remembered Orlow and Leon in the underground, as well as the creepy merchant man and the R.P.D. His hair flew in the wind as the emeralds created a shining vortex around the group.

"Chaos...Control!" said Sonic.

Link relaxed himself as he remembered the explosion and the great escape. Yeah, they had gone through a lot. The wind soon died down and the Chaos Emeralds returned to Sonic's possession. Link opened his eyes and looked about the area. They were standing in the middle of a bloody street. Dead bodies littered the road everywhere. Tall broken buildings towered over them on the sides. Various types of vehicles were smashed apart on the side walks. The stench of rotting flesh and intestines returned to their noses. Link shuddered. They were back in Raccoon City.

"Man what died out here?" said Sonic as he squeezed his nose. He looked down and noticed a dead man in a green uniform at his feet. "Oh..." Sonic backed away slowly. "I see what you mean when you guys said it was a nightmare."

"Don't talk about it. Let's just grab the herbs and go. I don't want to be here any longer than you do," said Samus. "Let's split up and search for them."

"What do they look like?"

"You'll know it when you see it. They are blue or green. That plant store across the street might have some." Suddenly, the cries of the undead filled the air.

"Oh man! What was that!?" cried Sonic.

"Zombies. We have to move, now. Come on," said Link calmly. The group split up and began searching. Link and Samus went across the broken street to the plant store. The front window was smashed open so they climbed in. All the plants in the room were wilted and dead. No surprise there. Dirt was covered all over the wooded floor as Link and Samus explored the new area.

"There maybe some in here," she said. Link went over to the cash register. It was empty. Samus checked the shelves for any. Several fertilizers and boxes were stacked on top of each other, but no herbs could be seen. "Dammit! Why are they so hard to find!?"

"Found some!"said Link from the other end. Samus went over to him. He was standing behind the counter. There were potted blue herbs on the floor where he was. "Someone must have left these here, but there's no doubt about it. These are the plants we're looking for."

"Good. Grab them so we can get out of here. I'm already starting to feel my lunch come up." Link grabbed the dirty herbs and shoved them in his pocket. He looked out the window and across the street. Sonic and Ike were no where to be found. Snake was standing near some garbage cans and waving his arms frantically. "What the hell's he doing out there?" asked Samus.

"Do you think he found some?" asked Link.

"No, he wouldn't be jumping like that if he did. Unless..." Snake dove behind the garbage cans. Everything went silent. "Get down."

"What?"

"Now!" Samus pulled Link to the floor as the shadow of a monster passed over them. The creature stopped in front of the window and peered inside the store. Samus held her breath. The monster was breathing heavily. Link had heard this breath before. A Tyrant. The Tyrant continued to look into the store. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire ringed through the air. The Tyrant left the area and made its way up the road. When it was out of sight, Link and Samus stood up.

"That was close," he said.

"Tell me about it. Come on, we're getting out of here." They jumped through the window and back onto the main road. Snake got up from behind the garbage cans as Ike and Sonic emerged from an alley way. When they met back in the center, Sonic spoke.

"Um, someone mind telling me what that thing was?"

"A Tyrant. One of the many mutated creatures running around in this city," said Samus.

"Oh wow." The thought of the Tyrant reminded Samus about how much she hated Master Hand.

"That thing could have seen you two! Good thing you saw me," said Snake.

"Yeah, nice signal, Snake," said Ike. "Did you get the herbs?"

"Right here," said Link as he handed the plants to Ike.

"You sure these are the ones?"

"Positive."

"Can we go now?" asked Samus.

"Okay, give me a second." Sonic pulled out his Chaos Emeralds and they started to shine again. "Here we go guys. Get in a circle again." The emeralds started to spin around the group at incredible speed. "Chaos...Control!" said Sonic. Link closed his eyes again as he was blinded by some light. He could feel his body being lifted of the ground. Something was not right.

"Hey Sonic! Is everything okay?!" he shouted. There was no reply. "Samus! Snake! Ike!" he cried. No one answered him.

Link still couldn't open his eyes because of the light. He felt a burst of heat envelop his body. The smell of corpses quickly disappeared. The wind picked up speed as he was tossed back and forth in the air. "Hey! What's going on!?" He felt as if he was free falling. He was free falling. "Whoooooaaaa!" Linik twisted in the air. He had no idea which direction he was facing. He could only feel the air rush past his body. "OOF!" He landed on his back. Something soft was beneath him. He opened his eyes. The brightness was too overwhelming for him, but soo nhis eyes adjusted. He was lying in the middle of a grassy field. Link stared up at the sky.

"_Did we make it_?"

Link sat up and looked around. Everywhere he looked there was grassland. In the distance, purple mountains could be seen rising up out of the ground. A beautiful sound was ringing through his ears.

"_This isn't the mansion. Where am I? Where is that sound coming from_?"

Link stood up. His legs were shaking from the fall, but he managed. He looked up at the clouds. They stared back down him patiently. Link turned away from them but did a double take. Now that he got a better look at them, the clouds actually _were_staring at him. They all bore a similar ghost like face that did not change expression. Link fell back down on the ground as he looked all around him. All the clouds in the sky were staring at him with the same blank look.

"_What is this? Why do they have faces? Where is Samus and the others_?"

Link fell back down on the grass and stared back up at the sky. He was separated from his friends. He was lonely. He was lost. Link closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep in hopes that this was all a dream.


	2. Clancers

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

Chapter 2: Clancers

_Link swung his sword around recklessly. A zombified hand grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground. Link recovered and sliced off the monsters head. Another one quickly took it's place and clawed at the Hylian's neck. Link drove the end of his weapon through the zombie's head. He jumped back only to land in the arms of another enemy. He kicked it in the shins and cut it's head off. _

_Link turned around and noticed Samus up on a high platform. She was fighting more monsters at the stone altar. Blood was dripping from the ceiling and falling onto them. _

_Link performed a spin attack to knock off all the enemies around him but they just kept coming. He didn't even have his shield or arrows with him. His only weapon was the Master Sword which seemed useless in a battle against a horde of undead monsters. The zombies came back at him a swarmed him. _

_Link fought back with all his might but there were too many. He felt his sword fall from his grasp when yellow teeth sank into his warm flesh. Blood was flying out of his tunic as he felt stabbing pains in his neck, arms, legs and torso. Soon he was on the ground and the zombies were crowding around on top of him, trying to get their share of the victory. Link cried out to Samus but she couldn't hear him. He felt his arm being torn off by a large zombie with no eyeballs. Link choked on his blood. _

_It was the end. _

_Link closed his eyes as the T-Virus penetrated his body. The virus bit at his nerves. It moved throughout his body. The zombies stood up seeing that their prey was no longer alive. They all backed away and created a large circle around the Hylian boy. Link was lying in a large pool of his own blood. He stared up at the ceiling as the virus mutated him into one of the undead._

Link opened his eyes.

"_A dream? Was I really dreaming_?"

He struggled to move but couldn't. Something was holding him down. Something soft and warm. He tried to get up but he fell down quickly.

"_Ugh, I'm so weak_..."

Link decided to rest in the fluffy bed for a while.

"_Wait, a bed_?"

Link looked forward to see his feet being covered by a blanket. His head was propped up on a white pillow. Yep, he was definitely in a bed.

"_But who's? Where am I anyway_?"

Link looked at his new surroundings. A small red lamp was on the night stand next to his bed. A small picture accompanied the lamp. There was a mirror and dresser across from him. A closed closet stood on the side next to a few small drawers. The wallpaper in the room was a dark shade of purple but the window was open and the light of the sun brightened up the area. Link closed his eyes and relaxed.

"_Okay, I'm in someone's bedroom_..."

The singing voices returned and rung through Link's head. It was beautiful as if they were the voices of a choir of angels.

"_That singing. Where is it coming from_?"

Link opened his eyes and looked out the window. The sound was entering the room from there.

"_Whatever it is, it's outside_." Link glanced at his surroundings again. It seemed like a perfectly normal bedroom, which made him assume that he was in a perfectly normal home, and that the events from before were merely dreams he was having.

"_Wait, Sonic and the others...Was I dreaming about them too? When we went back to Raccoon City? Was I dreaming about Zelda's sickness? No, I couldn't have. It seemed so real. What about the tournament? Was that all a dream? I can't remember..._"

Link held his head and massaged his temple area.

"_First thing's first. I got to find out where I am_."

Link through the covers off his body. Fortunately, none of his clothes were taken, but all his equipment was gone. Link jumped out of the bed and fell on the floor.

"_Why am I so tired_?..." Link pulled himself to his feet and stumbled about the room. He noticed various pictures on the walls. All of them contained the same photo of a person. At least, Link thought it was a person. Whatever it was, it wasn't human. The portraits portrayed pictures of an alien like creature.

"_I've seen that face before_."

The face of the creature was the same as that of the clouds outside. It was ghost-like as it had minimal facial features. For starters, the face was completely white with large black eyes and a large gaping mouth. It really did resemble a ghost if you looked at it. The only difference was that the creature had brown spiked hair and a yellow cap with the letter "N" printed on the front. The alien stood on two feet and looked like it was wearing some kind of black shoes. Besides that, the creature was completely naked but had a pretty muscular build. All the pictures contained similar photos of the same person.

"_What is this thing_?"

Link brushed it off his shoulders and exited the room. He needed answers, not questions. If he was on some kind of alien planet, he needed to get out of there as quickly as he could. He wanted to find his friends.

Link walked into what seemed to be a kitchen. The singing continued. He could also hear a clinking sound coming from somewhere; the sound of glass and metal meeting each other. Cooking appliances stood on the others side near the front door. Drawers and cupboards filled the empty spaces in the room. A creature was sitting at the table on the far side of the room. It noticed Link walk in. The creature stopped stirring it's cup (of what looked like tea) and stood up.

"Oh, you're awake," said the female voice. Link nearly jumped when he heard her voice. This creature looked like the one he saw in the pictures, except it was a pinkish color. Link didn't know what to say as he heard the voice. She spoke so fluently even though her mouth did not move at all. What was she? "Are you alright?" asked the creature as it walked over to the Hylian. Link took a step back right into a wall. He froze with his back against the cold metal.

"Look..." he said. "...I have no idea where I am or how I got here. I just need to know, am I dreaming?" The creature stopped and adjusted the red hat on her head. She stared at Link, though because of the way her eyes were, Link couldn't tell where she was staring.

"This is not a dream. I don't think so anyway," she said. Link relaxed himself.

"_Not a dream_?"

Link noticed his equipment sprawled in a neat pile on the table next to the cup. He looked at the tiles ground before replying.

"So, I'm not dreaming. And, you're real?"

"Last time I checked," giggled the alien.

"Uh, okay." That was all he could say. Link couldn't go against her words. After going through Raccoon City, hell he'd believe anything. "Could you at least tell me where I am?" he asked.

"Esperance," replied the creature.

"What?" the creature motioned for Link to sit down at the table.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Link hesitated before looking out the window. Still, the voices continued. He went over to the table and took the empty seat. The creature sat down as well and started stirring the cup again. Link seemed nervous. He glanced at his sword but directed his attention back at the creature when she cleared her throat.

"My name is Sarie," she said. Link didn't answer. "I found you lying in the middle of a field outside. I thought it would be best to bring you back here so you could recover your energy."

"How long was I lying in the field?"

"Don't know, I just found you there." Link drooped his down.

"_How long was I here? Could the others have left me? Or was I separated from them for other reasons_?"

"You okay? Maybe you should lie down again."

"I'm fine thanks."

"What's your name."

"Link."

"Link? That's a nice name. So, Link why were you lying in the middle of that field?" Sarie's voice was so soothing, almost as soothing as the singing outside.

"I...don't know...I was just there."

"Really? Well, I can tell by your looks that you're not from around here."

"And what gave you that hint?"

"The ears."

"Ah, figures."

"Anyways, you're in Esperance. It's one of the many different regions here on Clance."

"Clance?"

"That is the name of our planet."

"Wait, your planet? You mean to tell me that..."

"Hm?" Link froze for a few seconds before continuing.

"You mean to tell me that I'm not on Earth anymore?"

"Earth? Is that the name of the place where you come from?"

"Yes. According to you, I'm not on Earth anymore."

"You're not. Wherever that is."

"Great."

"So you have no idea of how you got here?"

"Well, kind of. It's really confusing."

"Okay..." They both sat there in silence. Sarie would always take the occasional sip from her warm cup. Link was feeling uncomfortable. What if he would never see his friends again? What if he could never go home again? Just when he was getting settled in, he gets lost on some alien planet.

"Definitely_ not my day._"

They both listened to the singing voices coming in from the window.

"Who's singing? I've been hearing that since I got here," asked Link. Sarie looked up at him.

"The Clancers."

"Who?"

"The Clancers. The people of this planet. Like me."

"Oh, so that's what you are. You call yourselves Clancers?"

"Yes. All Clancers have a natural singing voice. Whenever we're happy we sing. Others join in and our songs spread around the whole planet for other Clancers to hear."

"That's amazing."

"Thank you."

"You sing?"

"Of course I do."

"Why don't you sing with them?"

"Because I'm taking care of you."

"Oh...Well, I wish I could sing. You're pretty lucky to have an entire race that can sing naturally."

"Yes, it is quite magnificent." They both listened to the angelic voices. Link had never heard anything so beautiful in his life. He couldn't help himself. Link pulled out his Ocarina and started to play with the Clancers. Sarie continued to listen. Link hit every note on time and all the right pitches. Music was just natural to him.

"You play very beautifully," said Sarie. Link stopped.

"Thank you." He continued. Sarie leaned on her arms on the table and stared at the Hylian. Link closed his eyes as he played. After a few minutes, he stopped and put away his Ocarina. The Clancers continued.

"So, this is Esperance?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Sarie. Link stood up.

"You mind showing me around?" he asked as he collected his equipment.

"Sure." Sarie and Link exited the house. Sarie shut and locked the door behind her. Link looked around. The sun was still up high in the sky. There were more clouds out this time. All of them with the same facial expression as Sarie.

"Why do the clouds look like you?" asked Link.

"All Clancers have the same face on them. The spirits of Clancers who die get placed into natural objects on the planet, like clouds. It is like a way to remember those who have died."

"Wow, that's interesting." They walked out under the sun. Link spotted a forest of trees in the east. Mountains were up north. Link took in a breath of fresh air and exhaled. For some reason, the air was damp, even though there was no water to be seen.

"Hey what's that up there?" he asked. Link pointed up ahead at a black hole in the sky. Sarie stared at it for a while before answering.

"I...don't know. Let's go see." The pair ran up to the black rotating vortex. A large cluster of Clancers were standing crowded around underneath the event. Link and Sarie approached the group from the back. Sarie tapped one of them on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on here?" she asked. The Clancer turned around. His color was a greenish-blue and he was wearing a yellow worker hat.

"The Empire is at it again! This is the second time rift they've made!" Link stared at the large man. He looked very panicked.

"_Could this time rift be the reason how I got here?_"

"Another one of those monsters could come any moment!" said the man hysterically. "Do you remember what happened last time a time rift was opened?" Sarie looked past the man at other Clancers in grey. Some of them were wielding spears while others were unarmed completely. She turned back to the man.

"Can't the king's guards handle this?" she asked.

"Unless the monster is anything like the one last time, I don't know if they will last," replied the man.

"Wait, wait, what's going on here?" asked Link.

"This guy a friend of yours, Sarie?" asked the man.

"Yes, Ron, he is," said Sarie.

"Do you mind telling me what that thing is up there?" asked Link.

"It's a time rift. The empire has been using those to spawn monsters from the past. They plan on using the time rifts to take over the planet."

"The empire?"

"A group of Clancers who think they can do what they want," explained Ron. "They were supposedly wiped out a few years ago, but somehow they have risen to power again. Damn..."

"What's so bad about the empire? Aren't they supposed to enforce laws and stuff like that?"

"Not these guys. These guys think they own the planet. They have recently started to forge an army. We're not sure what they plan to do with it, but it can't be good."

"Wow. And here I thought this was a happy place." One of the guards came up to the trio.

"You are going to have to leave here, folks. It's dangerous. Who knows what kind of creature will come out of there," he said. The guard was wearing a small hat and was wielding a large spear. "King Aster's orders."

"What about all these people here? Aren't you going to tell them to go too?" asked Ron.

"Yes, but right now we need to get as many people out of here as we can." For some reason, the singing in the background had stopped. Link just realized it.

"Hey, the singing stopped."

"That's not a good sign," said Sarie. "We should get out of here."

"Wait, I want to see this." The ground started shaking. Some of the Clancers cried out as they fell.

"Everyone get out of here!" shouted one of the guards. The civilians fled for their lives. Ron, Sarie and Link remained. The rest of the guards formed a circle underneath the time rift.

"Something's coming through!" said one of them. A brown, ghost-like face emerged from the rift. The rest of it's body followed through and it landed with a thud on the ground in the middle of the guards.

"It's a giant worm!" cried Ron. Sure enough, the monster in the centre of the group was a giant worm. Link was surprised to see it's face resemble that of the Clancers.

"_It's a Clancer too?_"

The large worm roared loudly and started thrashing about. The guards were sent flying in all directions.

"Ahh!"

"Whoa!"

"Ugh!"

"Oof!"

"No!"

The guards hit the ground hard. One by one they started to dissolve into the ground.

"What's happening to them!?" cried Link.

"They're dead. When Clancers die they become part of this planet, remember?" replied Sarie.

"Hey! It's coming this way!" exclaimed Ron. The worm noticed the survivors and charged at them. Link drew out his sword.

"Get out of the way!" Link dodged to the left while Sarie and Ron dodged to the right.

"Link! You can't fight it! It's too strong!" said Sarie. Link jumped up high and came down on the worm when it's back was turned. Blood gushed out of the wound on it's back as it howled. Link jumped back to Sarie and Ron who just stared at him in amazement.

"Link! You actually wounded it!" she cried.

"Uh, yeah it wasn't that hard..." he replied. The worm reeled back and charged again. Link drew out his shield and put it up.

"Get back!" he cried. Sarie and Ron ran back a few steps. The worm charged right into Link's shield head on, but he held his ground. He threw worm off him and slashed with his sword, this time across the face of the beast. The worm bled severely. It fell on the ground and squirmed. Link finished it off by jumping up and stabbing it through the head.

"Yahh!" he cried as his sword met the creature's skull. The worm tried to get out, but couldn't. Soon, it's tail went limp and it died. It's body started to bubble and dissolve into the ground. Link wiped the blood off his sword on the bottom of his boot.

"_Man, that was easy. My strength came back faster than I would have expected_."

Sarie and Ron ran up to him.

"That was incredible! No one's ever been able to defeat a Clance worm that easily before!" said Ron. "Just what are you, boy?"

"His name is Link. He's new here," said Sarie. Link holstered his weapons and looked at the spot where the worm died.

"So I take it that thing became one with the planet as well?" he asked.

"You got it! But that's not important right now, Link! That worm killed the king's guards! But you took it out with only a few swings of your sword! There may be hope for us yet!" exclaimed Sarie.

"Wait a second, what's she talking about?" asked Link.

"Link, our people are going through a time of civil war. When the empire started opening time rifts, we thought it was all over for us. The heroine who saved our planet a few years back left us thinking that we would be safe. But the empire rose again! Now we have no way to counter their monsters! You know how many casualties we had when the last rift was opened? Over two hundred! And that's only from one monster! When they started sending monsters from all over the planet, we'll be done for! But, then there's you..."

"Me?"

"You killed that worm beast with ease! Never in my life have I seen such bravery in someone so young!"

"Well, it wasn't that hard. I mean, those guards weren't even doing anything. They were just standing there when the worm attacked."

"Yes, but that's besides the point! Link, you may be the only hope we have if we're ever going to defeat the empire! We need to end this war!" Link glanced at Ron, then at Sarie, then at the ground where he killed the worm.

"No," he said as he turned around and started walking off.

"No? Hey where you going?!" said Sarie as she and Ron caught up to him.

"What do you mean 'no'?" asked Ron as the three of them walked at even paces.

"I mean NO," repeated Link.

"What, so you're going to just leave us here?" said Sarie.

"And here I thought he looked like the heroic type..."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you guys. I have enough on my plate already."

"What do you mean? You just got here!"

"I know. Which is exactly the point. I need to find my friends."

"Oh so you would rather worry about a few friends when our entire planet is at stake!" exclaimed Ron.

"You don't understand."

"There is nothing to understand!"

"No, you don't understand." Sarie and Ron stopped walking as Link continued a few feet ahead. He stopped a few steps in front of them and looked at the ground. "Someone I care about is going to die."

Sarie and Ron just stared at his back.

"What?" asked Sarie. Link turned to them. His face bore dark features.

"I need to know if my friends are okay. If I don't find them, they could die." Zelda's image blew through Link's head. "So, I'm sorry about your planet and all. I wish I could help, but right now I need to worry about my problems." Link continued walking through the bright grassland. The two Clancers behind him just stared. Once Link was in the distance, Ron took a breath.

"How could we be so selfish? We didn't even think about his problems," he said.

"I know," replied Sarie. "We should have known better than to pester him." They both turned around and headed for the direction of the castle.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Ron. Sarie was silent for a few seconds before replying.

"First, we tell Teran to seal up the rift. Then we head to the king. He must know about Link. He may be able to get him to help our cause."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Link made his way through the grasslands by himself. He felt pretty bad to leave these poor people behind, but he had no choice. Was an entire civilization compared to that of his friends? Nothing of significance. Link inhaled deeply and exhaled. The warm Clancer air refreshed his spirit. The sound of the singing Clancers returned. He hummed along with them as he went and contemplated.

"_What is with these people? They say they lost over two hundred men when the first monster attacked? How is that possible? That worm beast I fought was no where near as powerful as they described it to be. It looked kind of ridiculous too. Not even intimidating at all. But if that's true then why are the Clancers afraid? I saw those guards shaking as if they saw a ghost. Even though they were armed, not one of them wanted to take on the initiative. The worm made quick work of them. But against me, the monster was a joke. Could these people really be that stupid? Or is it not stupidity that plagues their minds? Maybe it's fear? Maybe ignorance? I'm not sure. If their ever going to win his war, they're going to have to learn how to fight. But I'm not the one to teach them that. I have my own issues to worry about_."

Link looked up at the clouds and they stared back down at him. Something was different about their faces. Instead of the ghostly, blank look all Clancers had, they seemed to bear sad expressions on their faces. He could see it in their eyes. Link turned his attention away from the sky and continued onward.

He actually had no idea where he was going, or what he was going to do when he got there. He doesn't know for sure if his friends are even on this planet. They could have been transported to the outer reaches of the galaxy. It made Link hate himself for not listening to Samus when she was explaining space travel to him a few years back. Link hated outer space. Not because he feared it, but because he didn't know much about it. Space was all just one giant mystery just waiting to be discovered. Who knows where Planet Clance was on the map. Who knew if it was even relatively close to earth. Link didn't care.

All he wanted was to go home. He wanted to see Zelda alive and happy again, not the bleeding, sick creature lying in a hospital bed. He wanted to see Samus' beautiful face. He wanted to hold her in his arms. To feel her again, but not anymore. Now he was alone. He had no one. Would the Clancers still befriend him even though he turned away from their request? Would the empire spare his life if they ever caught him wandering the surface of Esperance? Link shook the ideas out of his head.

"_That's not going to happen. I'm going home and that's that. Whatever happens to these people is no concern of mine_."

Link regretted thinking this thought. Has he really grown that selfish? So selfish that he would leave an entire alien race to die beneath his finger?

"_I'm not selfish! I'm just worrying about myself_!"

He realized that that was still being selfish. Link walked on through the endless grasslands which seemed to take hours. The clouds still continued to stare down at him with sad looks.

"_I am all alone_."

The sun started to set and paint the sky a bright red.

"_Why is there a sun here anyway? Is the time system here the same as on earth_?"

Link couldn't concentrate. His vision was starting to blur. He hadn't eaten since lunch time and who knew how long ago that was.

"_Should have asked Sarie for something to eat? Do Clancers even eat food_?"

Link's steps started to get smaller as he began to slouch. His tunic felt so heavy all of a sudden. The weight of his sword and shield weren't helping either.

"_Why didn't I see this coming_?"

Link stopped walking and stood in the middle of the plain. The sound of the voices still echoed through his head.

"_Their voices are so soothing. I feel like going to sleep_..."

"Hey Link! I found you!" A figure was standing before him, but he couldn't see because his vision was so blurred. The person's voice sounded so familiar.

"Huh? Who are you?" asked Link.

"What do you mean who am I? Don't tell me you forgot! No one forgets me! I'm Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog, remember?"

"Sonic?...Sonic...Oh, SONIC!" Link's eyes got wide and he saw the short blue hedgehog stand before him. Link straightened out his back and smiled at his friend. "Sonic! You're here!" he cried.

"Sure am. Boy, I thought I was the only one stranded on this rock."

"Rock?"

"This planet. I have no idea how it happened, but somehow the Chaos Control went hay-wire and sent us here by mistake."

"So, that means the others are here too?"

"Not sure. They could have ended up anywhere. They actually could have made it home just fine..."

"So we could be the only ones here..."

"Yep."

"Well, can't you just use Chaos Control again?"

"Heh. Well funny thing actually, after I used Chaos Control, the emeralds went crazy and shot off somewhere. I've ran around this planet ten times and I haven't found any anywhere."

"Why did they separate?"

"I don't know. They don't usually do that. Man, that music is annoying! I've been trying to find out where it's coming from!"

"It's the Clancers."

"The Clancers?"

"That is the name of the species of people that live here. You've seen them right?"

"You mean those guys with the ghost faces?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah I've seen tons of 'em. Didn't bother to talk to any though. I was too busy running around, if you catch my drift."

"I do...So what do we do now?" Sonic started tapping his foot on the ground as he thought.

"Not sure. We should continue searching for the emeralds. But, I have no idea where the others are. Is it dangerous here?"

"No, the people are all friendly, at least I think so. They told me about some 'empire' that's been doing damage to their planet or something like that. Monsters have also started falling from the sky for some reason."

"Heh, sounds like a nice place."

"You're joking right?"

"Course."

"Well, if the Chaos Emeralds are here like you said, we should start searching for them as soon as we can."

"Yeah, except you're too slow."

"Hey if there's two of us, we have a better chance."

"Makes sense. Alright! Let's go!" Sonic sped off into the horizon. Link just stood there in the field.

"_Did he even hear a word I said?_"

Link ran through the grass in hopes of catching the blue hedgehog.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Your majesty, there was another attack," said Jistr. "This time in Esperance. Our casualties: 26. All of the guards surrounding the rift were killed off. They didn't stand a chance." King Aster sighed in his throne. What was this world coming to? The Clancers used to be a peaceful race. And now they dwindle on the risk of civil war.

"Anything else Jistr?" asked the king.

"Not at the moment my lord," replied the servant. Another Clancer entered the throne room from behind. He kneeled before the king and handed Jistr a piece of card. The Clancer bowed again and left the room. Jistr looked over the paper in his hands twice before speaking. "Oh sire! Apparently, the beast was destroyed!"

"What's that?"

"Civilians reported that a lone soldier was in the area. He had engaged the beast and killed it with ease!"

"What do you mean 'with ease'?"

"I mean he could take down the beast without the need of support guards. He defeated the beast with a few mere swings of his sword!"

"What? Who is this warrior?"

"I'm not sure mi'lord. Maybe he's come from far to rid us of the empire!"

"Perhaps...Or perhaps he's just a passer by who just happened to wander upon our situation."

"Well, whatever the case sire, I think we should recruit him to the army. He would a most invaluable aspect to our cause. Wouldn't you agree, sire?" King Aster felt the white beard on his chin for a few seconds before looking up at his servant.

"He would be. Assuming we can recruit him. Any idea where he is?"

"No, sire. We could send someone for him."

"Send for Teran."

"Teran, mi'lord?"

"He should be able to watch after himself if the enemy were ever to ambush him."

"Very good, sire. I'll see to it right away." Jistr gave a solemn bow and exited the throne room. King Aster sighed.

"Marina. Where are you?"


	3. Sudden Recruitment

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

Chapter 3: Sudden Recruitment

_The virus-infected people all stood around Link, as if they were waiting for him to do something. Link didn't know what to do. He was dead. He was nothing anymore. He felt so cold. The heat from his body was now all gone. He was just an empty shell. But, something inside him compelled him to stand up. It was difficult as he only had one arm on his right side, but the need to feed was too overwhelming. He stood tall among his brothers. None of them paid any attention to him. They continued moaning in the direction of Samus who was standing up at the alter fighting more zombies. Link looked at her too. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her. She was sweating, her hair was tangled in knots, and there was blood on her face. On her flesh. Her warm flesh. Link wanted her. He wanted her so badly. He started moaning with his brothers for her. He didn't know what was making him make this sick sound. He felt so cold. The thought of Samus' warm body in his only made him want her more. He started making his way through the crowd to his love._

Link held his head again. He was having another premonition.

"_What is this? I thought...I thought it was only a dream. But, it seems so real. Samus isn't dead is she? I'm not dead. I can't be_."

He continued to stare off in the direction Sonic ran.

"_That idiot. I have no time for this_."

Link felt someone tap his shoulder.

"_Oh, I see. He thinks he can pull a prank on me. Well not today_!" The Hylian drew his sword and turned around.

"Nice try, Sonic!" he shouted. The Clancer facing him squealed and jumped back.

"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" he cried. Link realized that it was only a civilian. It wasn't Sonic. It wasn't a monster. He sighed and seethed his sword.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I thought you were someone else." The Clancer took a few steps towards him.

"Oh don't worry! Happens all the time!" he replied happily. Link examined the strange creature before him. The Clancer was about the same height as Ron (taller than Sarie) but was wearing a black top hat and an old tuxedo. He wore shiny black shoes and a red bow tie. The Clancer continued to stare at the Hylian with the same blank look as the others.

"Um, can I help you?" asked Link. The Clancer held out his hand.

"Hello there! My name is Tac Clancer! Pleasure to meet you!" Link stared at Tac's awkward greeting. He didn't even answer the question. Having nothing to say Link shook hands with the stranger.

"Hi. Uh...My name's Link."

"Link? That's a weird name."

"You'd be smart to remember it."

"I was only joking, LINK. I just like to poke fun at people. Of course you seem like a perfectly smart guy."

"...Thanks..."

"And a very good-looking one at that."

"Uh...Thanks?..."

"You're very welcome! It is my job to make people feel good about themselves! Even complete strangers such as yourself!"

"Well, could you cut it out, it's kind of creepy."

"Oh sure thing! Anyways, I was wondering if you, a perfectly good-looking and smart stranger, would be interested in a little fun at the one and only Clan Ball Land!" Link stared at Tac for a while before answering.

"What?"

"I was wondering if you, a perfectly good-looking and smart stra-"

"I got that already! What are you asking me?"

"Want to go to Clan Ball Land? You are guaranteed to have a good time!" Link wanted to ask what Clan Ball Land was, until he remembered his mission.

"Sorry, can't. I have something else to do." Tac Clancer refused to give in to his customer.

"Are you suuuurrrrreeee?" He pulled out two yellow tickets and waved them in front of Link's face. Link's eyes followed the tickets back and forth a few times before he shook himself out of it.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have prior engagements."

"Well, how about this?" Tac pulled out two blue tickets and waved them in front of Link's face. "How about Spike Land? I will give you these for FREE! That's right! FREE! What do you say about that, mister 'smart guy'?" Link gave him an unsatisfied glare.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?" Link turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey wait up, stranger!" Link turned around and stuck a finger at the salesman.

"I swear! If you call me stranger one more time, I'll shove those tickets down your throat!" Tac stopped in his tracks.

"But, I only said it three times!" Link didn't reply. Tac wouldn't understand. He wasn't there during the outbreak in Raccoon City.

"Okay, if it makes you upset, I promise not to bug you about these tickets. But could you at least help me find someone to sell these to?" The Hylian stared at the poor man for a while.

"Alright. Just please stop being annoying."

"Yay!" This gave Link a shiver up his spine. How old was this guy anyways? Did he even care about the fact that Link wasn't a Clancer? He rejected these questions. Link tried to get the memories of his vision out of his head.

"Come on, let's go." The pair continued walking through the field of grass. The singing continued in the background. After a few moments of silence, Tac decided to make conversation.

"So, stranger-"

"What did I say about calling me that?"

"Oh right. Sorry. Um, what was your name again?"

"I told you not to forget it."

"Too late."

"Figure it out yourself." Tac studied Link's face as they walked. Link glanced at him before directing his attention back to what was ahead of him. Link actually didn't know where he was going. He was trapped on this rock until all the Chaos Emeralds were found.

Man, did he hate time travel. Even back in Hyrule when his Ocarina had the power to go forward or back in time seven years, he felt uncomfortable doing it. Changing from a young boy to a teenager in a matter of a few seconds was no easy experience. But, here, on Clance, his age did not change at all. Why was that? Was the year still 2008 on this planet?

"Hey-" started Link.

"Wait wait! I think I got it!" replied the Clancer. More silence. Finally, he spoke up. "Your name is Harold!" Link gave him a weird look.

"Harold? Do I look like a Harold?"

"Well, you did a few seconds ago. But now that I look at you from the front, you look like a Drew. Or a Steve. Or a Wario." Link stuck his tongue out at this last name. He instantly thought of the fat Italian man which this name belonged to.

"You think my name is Wario?"

"It's possible."

"Great, I forgot what I was going to ask you now."

"Wait, so your name IS Wario!"

"No it's not! My name is Link! L-I-N-K! Link!"

"Link? That's a dumb name." Link clenched a fist. Oh how he wanted to hit this guy. He was annoying the crap out of him.

"Would you be interested in buying two tickets to Clan Ball Land?" asked Tac. That was it. Link screamed as he threw an all-out punch at the Clancer. Tac was sent flying back ten feet before hitting the ground. "OW! Why did you hit me!?"

"I didn't hit you that hard! I'm surprised you flew so far." Tac brought himself to his feet.

"I thought we were friends!" he whined. Link gave him an awkward stare.

"What gave you that idea?!"

"You told me your name! Wait, what was it again?"

"Oh for God's sake!" Link stomped off in the opposite direction.

"Wait! Link come back! Hey I remembered it!" cried Tac. Link ignored him. He wasn't in the mood for jokes. All he wanted was to find his friends.

"_What is wrong with this planet_?"

"Will you stop please!" cried Tac.

"No, I don't want to talk to you. You don't listen to anything," replied the Hylian. Suddenly, Link saw a blue blur in the distance heading right for him.

"_Oh it's Sonic. Thank God_." Indeed, it was Sonic the Hedgehog. He sped past his friend. A wind of dust flew into Link's face as Sonic went by.

"CoughHey Sonic!Cough Cough" Sonic turned around and stopped in front of Link.

"Oh Link! I've been looking for you! What's taking you long!? I would have been around this planet twice by now!"

"Well, excuse me if I can't run as fast as you!" replied Link.

"Heh, good point. Look, I was thinking. Since you're so slow at running, and I am waaaaaayyy faster than you, I was thinking that maybe I should find the emeralds all by myself. You should worry about finding our friends...Well? What do you think?"

"Hold on! You didn't even give me a chance to-"

"Awesome!" Sonic sped off again.

"_And without even saying a good-bye_."

"Hey who was that guy, Link?" asked Tac.

"Oh, you're still here," replied Link.

"Of course I am!"

"Okay. I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. The stress is just getting to me."

"I forgive you. Now, are you going to help me sell these tickets or not?"

"I might as well. But I still have to find my friends."

"Maybe we should try the castle."

"The castle?"

"Yep. If your friends are lost, there's a good chance we'll find them at the castle. And I'm sure the king wouldn't mind paying a pretty price for these tickets."

"You know, you're really starting to remind me of someone."

The two of them made their way to the castle on the other side of the field.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Samus shot up straight in the bed. She was sweating hard.

"_My God, what a nightmare_..."

For some reason, she was dreaming about the outbreak. She remembered all the monsters and the people she encountered so clearly, it was as if she had just come out of it yesterday.

"_But it was just a dream. Nothing but a bad dream_."

She realized she was sitting in what looked like a bed, and a very expensive one at that. The bedposts were mad out of pure gold. Large open windows on both sides of the room allowed sunlight warm up the environment. She could hear singing. Beautiful singing voices. She threw the sheets off her and jumped out of the bed. Surprisingly, she was still in her zero suit.

"_What happened? I remember Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds...And all that light...Then...what...?_"

Samus didn't know where she was. She was beginning to wonder if she was back in the mansion. Back home. But she didn't recognize this room at all. Expensive furniture and dressers lining the walls, bookshelves filled to the limits. Samus knew she was in a stranger's home. Whoever this house belonged to, he was a rich guy. Samus exited the room. She found herself wandering large hallways made of brick. A red carpet lay beneath her feet as she walked.

"_Wow. It's bigger than the mansion!_"

Everywhere she looked she saw paintings of landscapes on the walls. Every now and then she would pass by a potted plant she's never seen before. And that was strange considering Samus had travelled all over the galaxy and recorded findings of rare vegetation. The sound of the singing died down between the brick. The air was dry and cool, but that did not stop her from pressing on.

"_No doubt about it. I'm in a castle. Not one I'm familiar with, though_."

She stopped when she saw a small figure turn the corner in front of her. The young Clancer did not seem to notice her. The creature was a faded green color and was wearing a sun hat on it's head. Samus stared at the Clancer approaching her.

"Hey there," Samus greeted. The Clancer looked up and shrieked. It turned around and ran back the way it came from. Samus followed it. "Hey come back! I won't hurt you!" The Clancer ran as fast as it could, trying to avoid the strange woman. Samus was slowly catching up to it. She needed answers. "Stop running!" she shouted. The Clancer disappeared behind a large set of golden doors. Samus stopped in front of them before opening them quickly. "I just want to know what the hell is going on!"

She froze when she realized that she was standing in a large room. The red carpet led up a set of stairs to a throne where a king was sitting. The young Clancer cowered behind him. Samus was about to say something until she was approached by an alien creature.

"Good afternoon, Miss. Did you have a good rest?" asked the blue colored Clancer. Samus couldn't react to this question. She couldn't react to anything. Just who were these people? They seemed friendly enough. She decided to play along.

"Um, it was good. Could I ask you something?" she replied.

"What is it?"

"Where am I?"

"Why Miss! You are on Planet Clance! I would like to be the first one to welcome you appropriately to our home!"

"Um, what?"

"Princess Ondine found you lying in the castle gardens. She brought you in and nursed you back to health. You should be grateful to her."

"Princess Ondine!"

"Your majesty, would you please be so kind as to introduce yourself to our guest?" The cowering Clancer hid behind the throne.

"You must excuse her majesty. She is a little bit shy."

"Wait, you said I was lying in the garden?"

"Yes."

"How did I end up there?"

"Well, don't you know?"

"No...I don't."

"Well, that's odd. Surely you must know something about how you ended in our world."

"I'm trying, but I'm not getting anything." Actually, Samus was getting something, but she was pretty sure this guy didn't want to know about flesh-eating monsters.

"That's too bad." The Clancer turned his attention to trhe king.

"Your highness, would you like to speak with our guest?" King Aster nodded his head slightly.

"Bring her forth, Jistr," said the king in a low voice. The fact that the mouths of these people never moved did not faze Samus at all. She had seen way more ridiculous looking creatures than these Clancers before. Samus and Jistr walked up to the steps. Jistr gave a solemn bow. Samus watched him and followed suit nervously. "Rise," said his majesty. The two did so. "What is your name, young one?" Samus hesitated before replying.

"Samus Aran," she answered.

"Well Samus, I think you should thank my daughter for finding you. Go on, Ondine." The princess poked her head around the king's throne and eyed Samus. Samus bowed again.

"Thank you for saving me," she said. Princess Ondine cautiously walked into perfect view of Samus.

"Your...welcome..." she muttered shyly.

"Now," started Aster. "I only assume you were in my garden for one reason, and one reason only."

"I wasn't trying to steal anything if that's what your thinking."

"You want to join my army!" said the king happily. Samus staggered back at this.

"What?"

"You came into my kingdom to ask if you would be recruited to the Resistance. Well, I accept your generous offer. You may now return to your room." Samus couldn't even bring the words to speak. Everything was happening so fast.

"I-I-Hey-Hold on a second!" Aster waved his hand for her to be dismissed. Samus refused to leave. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on!?" she cried.

"Jistr, please escort her to her room," said Aster.

"Right away, my liege!" Jistr grabbed Samus' hand and pulled her towards the doors which they came in. "This way Samus. Please, this way." Samus tried to fight back but soon felt her feet following Jistr's out the door and into the hallway. Samus didn't say anything as Jistr kept rambling on. "You are so lucky the king allowed you to join our ranks! He doesn't even know who you are! I of course would have been more than happy to join the Resistance, but my duty lies to my king and my people! You sure are a generous person, Miss Aran!" Samus held her head. Too much was happening to fast. And she still couldn't figure out how she got here in the first place. It felt like yesterday she was arriving home in her starship with her fellow smashers after surviving the events of Raccoon City. And the tournament was already over. Not only that, but she was now trapped on some alien planet. How did it happen so fast?

"Jistr, could you-"

"Escort you to your room? Most certainly!" At that, Jistr opened up a door and tossed Samus inside. He gave a wave and shut the door. Samus was back in the room where she started.

"Why won't anybody listen to me!?" she cried. Samus fell onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "What am I doing here!? Where is everybody!?" She put her hands on her face to cover her eyes. She didn't want to be here. She had no idea what was going on.

"_And I know for a fact that this isn't a dream_."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" asked Samus without even moving. There was silence for a while before an answer.

"It's me. May I come in?" It was the princess. Samus didn't want to answer, but for some reason, she did.

"It's unlocked," she replied. The door slowly creaked open and the young Clancer princess in the sun hat entered the room.

"Hello..." she greeted.

Samus raised a hand as a sign of greeting, but she still remained on the bed.

"I'm..sorry...for what happened earlier. I get kind of shy when talking to strangers." Samus took a peak at Ondine.

"You think?"

"I know for a fact."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Oh. Okay. I'm sorry for how my father acted. He's not usually like that. It's just; the stress that the war is putting on him is making him do unnecessary things. I don't even know how he could even think of recruiting you. For all we know, you could be working for the empire."

"Wait. What are you talking about?"

"The planet is going to break into civil war soon. The Resistance has been doing all they could to recruit troops. I guess when you came out of no where, my father couldn't resist."

"A king isn't supposed to make reckless decisions."

"I know. That is why I need your help, Samus Aran."

"You need my help? I should be asking you that question."

"Why?" Samus sat up in the bed.

"I have no idea what's going on right now. All I want to do is find my friends. We got separated a while ago. I don't know where they are. I don't know how to get home. You should be the one helping me."

"I see your problem. You are not born of this planet like I am. You come from a land far away from here. I understand your situation. But you must understand mine, too. If this war is not put to an end, my people will suffer."

"Wait, you said that there's going to be a civil war?"

"It's already begun. It's subtle, but it won't be long before the armies clash on the field of battle."

"Who is the enemy?"

"The dreaded empire. They want to take over the planet. They want to bring a new order. This is absurd because my father has ruled the planet for over 200 years. They can't change things now."

"Is the empire more powerful than the Resistance?"

"Yes. It is impossible to match their brute strength. They have recently mastered the technology to open time rifts to allow monsters to invade our villages. Esperance suffered a loss just a few hours ago."

"So, you think that I can make a difference for you?"

"Possibly. Clancers are naturally vulnerable to attacks. Anything that can harm the body physically is considered dangerous to us. But you. You are not of Clancer blood. You are human. You may be the advantage we need over them."

"Just because I'm human, doesn't mean I'm all that powerful. And since when do you know what a human is anyway?"

"There are three humans leading our armies into battle. The only remaining ones on the planet. The other two that protected us from the empire years ago disappeared."

"So, that's it? Three humans?"

"Yes. Well, there is a fourth one that was spotted out in the fields earlier today. I don't know much about the issue though. My brother was sent out to retrieve him."

"What did it look like?"

"Jistr described it to me as a human with "pointy ears." I thought that that was ridiculous of course, because I know for a fact that humans are not supposed to have pointed ears. You don't."

"Pointy ears? Wait..." Samus thought for a while.

"_Could it be Link? What are the odds of him ending up in the same place as me? It could be someone else entirely. Then again, how many humans are out there with pointed ears? It has to be Link_!"

Samus opened her eyes and faced the princess.

"Was this human wearing some kind of green outfit?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Jistr didn't go into much detail on it."

"Hmm....What about a sword? Was he carrying a sword?"

"I think he was. The human managed to slay a Clancer Worm in a matter of a few swings of his weapon. That is one of the most incredible things I ever heard of."

"Then there's no doubt. That human is Link."

"Who?"

"That human. He's one of my friends who went missing. I have to find him." Samus stood up and was about to leave the room, but Ondine blocked her path.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I need to find my friend. Stand aside."

You cannot talk to me like that. I command you to sit down."

"Look princess, I don't orders from no one but myself. Like you said before, I'm not of this world, so why should I care what comes out of that black hole of yours?"

"My brother will see that your friend joins us. We need his strength on our side."

"And what if Link says no? I'm sure he is more worried about my well being than some civilization he never heard of. How can you be so sure if he'll even join you?"

"If Link refuses to join, Teran has direct orders from my father. He will exterminate him.


	4. Leads and Suspicions

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

Chapter 4: Leads and suspicion

"The castle is just up ahead, Link!" exclaimed Tac. Link winced his eyes to see a large stone castle up high on a grassy hill. Odd looking trees with Clancer faces were planted in front of the fortress. Several red flags with the Clancer face were blowing in the wind on the castle walls.

"Not what I was expecting, but it's a good start," said Link. "Let's go!" The two of them sprinted through the meadow.

"Oh I can't wait to see the king again! I know he misses me!" said Tac excitedly.

"You've met the king before?" asked Link.

"Of course I have! Every Clancer knows the king! All Clancers are given a blessing by his majesty at birth! Without that blessing, we are not allowed to call ourselves Clancers."

"Wow, this planet must be really small. What is the population of Esperance?"

"Um, I think it's around 500."

"Yeah, that's small."

"No it's not! 500 people? Do you know how many soldiers that is?"

"Not that many."

"Just you wait Link! You'll see. There are plenty of us to fight in the war."

"Assuming the Empire is short of troops, too."

"Okay, if you keep that up I will officially disown you as a friend."

"You don't know how lucky I'd be if that happened." After some more walking, the two stopped. "Um, Tac. What is that?"

A dark figure was standing before the castle gates. The Clancer was short and his face was covered by a yellow cap on his head. His fists were up as if he were ready to throw a punch. The figure stood still on the grass and eyed the pair.

"You are the warrior who slew that beast earlier today, are you not?" said the shadowed figure. Link was hesitant to respond.

"Uh, yes." Tac did not react.

"Then you are to come with me. The king wishes it," continued the stranger.

"King Aster? Really?" said Tac.

"Tac, what are you doing with the warrior?" asked the figure.

"Um, uh. I'm giving him a tour of Esperance! He's enjoying it, aren't you Link?"

"I guess so."

"So, your name is Link?"

"Yes, and who may I ask are you?" The Clancer tipped his cap upwards so that his facial features could be seen.

"My name is Teran. I was sent by the King himself to recruit you." For some reason, this Clancer seemed more bulkier than the ones Link met before. He had spiked blonde hair that poked out under his yellow cap. Link could have sword he'd seen this guy somewhere before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Teran continued bouncing back and forth in a fighter stance as if he was about to fight someone.

"Don't act so formal, Teran. Link isn't intimidated by you at all!" said Tac.

"Wait, the King knows about me?" asked Link.

"Yes, he does. As a matter of fact, the entire Resistance army knows about you. News travels very fast in our world."

"Yeah, because it's so small."

"That's not the point. You are coming with me." Link shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, if you say so." He and Tac followed the Clancer into the stone castle.

"So, Teran. How have you been lately?" asked Tac out of boredom. Teran did not turn to them but continued walking through the corridors.

"I've been fine," he replied.

"Oh. Good. Good." Tac was feeling awkward in the silence. Link took the opportunity to study the interior of the castle. The walls were made up of strong grey stone which held up various pictures of royal family members. The trio walked along a red carpet which seemed to lead to nothing. Some guards who were standing by gave a suspicious stare at Link. He averted his gaze whenever he felt one of them were looking at him.

"_I feel welcomed already_."

"The throne room is just up ahead," said Teran. He swung open the large doors in front of them. Link was blinded by a flash of white light, but his eyes quickly adjusted. They followed the red carpet into the large room. Link didn't feel all that impressed though. This castle was no where near as fancy as Hyrule castle. King Aster sat in his throne and watched the trio kneel before him. Link was a little slow to react, but he managed to do it before anyone noticed. Princess Ondine sat in the throne next to her father. "Your majesty. I bring you, the Green Warrior," said Teran boldly. Link looked up at this.

"_Where did this nickname come from_?"

Jistr was standing off to the side and hopping up and down rather excitedly.

"Oh this is wonderful! The Green Warrior! Here in our castle! It is an honor to finally meet you!" he said. Link just smiled uncomfortably at him and looked at the princess. She turned away when she noticed his gaze on her. Link turned away as well.

"Thank you, BLOCKMAN," said the King. "Please stand, my boy." Link realized he was talking to him and he slowly got to his feet. "You are the one who saved Esperance from that rampaging monster?" asked the King. Link nodded his head.

"Yes, uh, your majesty," he replied.

"That is very impressive. It takes nearly 200 of my men to destroy a beast like that, but you were just on your own. You have been blessed with a gift."

Link did not reply.

"Such a gift should not be overlooked for such a worthy cause. You have ben selected to join my soldiers in battle against the Empire. Although, I'm sure Teran already told you about that."

"He did not."

"Oh, well then I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter. As you've probably seen, our people are a dying race. This war is tearing us apart from the very foundation we stand upon. If the Empire should overthrow us, Clance will become engulfed in an endless sea of flames. Our world will cease to exist." Link paused for a moment and pondered this.

"_This doesn't have anything to do with me. Why should I risk my life for their mistakes? But I can't just turn away from them if they need me. What kind of a hero could I call myself if I just walked out on them right now? Okay. I'll join their army. But when Sonic come back with the Chaos Emeralds, I'm getting out of here. Sounds like a plan_."

"I see what you mean sire," started the Hylian. "It seems that my only option right now is to fight along side you until this war is over. I think we can come to an agreement."

"What are your terms?"

"I'm looked for my friends. Two males and one female. All of them are human. Have you seen anyone like that?" The King paused before responding.

"Only three humans have lived on this planet their entire life. That is quite a rarity especially when Clance lies near the out reaches of the galaxy. However, there was a woman in the castle earlier today. She said she was looking for someone."

"Really? Could...Could I see her?"

"Hm, I suppose so. Jistr!"

"Yes my Lord!"

"Fetch the girl."

"Right away sir!" Jistr ran to one of the side doors and left the room.

"My daughter found her out in the garden this morning. We're not sure how she got there."

"_Should I tell him about the Chaos Control? No, I need to speak with Samus about that first_."

Link was having a hard time grasping the situation. Everything was moving so fast he could barely keep up with it. What started out as a rescue mission to save Zelda ended up as a rescue mission to save an entire race or people. And they were just in Raccoon City a few hours ago! Link put a palm to his head and massaged his temple. The stress was starting to soak in. He had to save all these people from destruction while at the same time locate his lost friends. He didn't even want to think about what Zelda was going through back at home. If only Leon were here... Link remembered that he still had Leon's phone number. But who knew if these Clancers even had phones. He wouldn't even be able to get here anyway. The memory of those undead monsters sill lurked in the back of Link's mind, gnawing at his sense of sanity. Why was it so difficult for him to keep his priorities in check?

"Ahem, your majesty. You said that there were three other humans. Who are they?" Link asked.

"My boy, those three are the proud generals of my army. They will be leading my warriors into combat on the final day."

"And you said they've been living here their whole life?"

"Yes, however, they never used to be fighting on the side of justice. At one point in time, those three used to fight for the Empire... But that's something else entirely that I'll let you look into on your own."

"Your majesty," said Tac holding up two yellow tickets. "Would you be interested in buying these lovely tickets to Clan Ball Land? They're on sale right now!" The King chuckled to himself before replying.

"No thank you, Tac. But how about you go explore throughout the castle? I'm sure you'll find someone who will buy those tickets from you." Tac gave a solemn bow.

"Thank you, your majesty." With that, Tac slowly walked out of the room, but not before giving Link a good-bye wave. Link waved back uncomfortably before turning to Teran.

"Man, what is with that guy?" he asked. Teran didn't find the question hard to answer at all.

"Don't worry about him. He's always been like that. Tac's the kind of guy who appears to be in more than one place at one time."

"I can believe that."

"Your majesty!" said Jistr as he walked into the room. "I present to you, the lovely Samus Aran!" Link turned his attention to the door. Samus stepped out behind Jistr. She looked about the room quickly before noticing Link. The two locked eyes and stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Link..." She ran over to him and embraced him. "I knew I'd find you!" she said. Link laughed.

"I was thinking the same thing!" She let go and whispered into his ear.

"So, any news on the others?"

"No," replied Link quietly, "But I did run into Sonic earlier."

"You did? What did he say?"

"Tell you later."

"Is this the person you were looking for?" asked King Aster.

"Yes, your majesty, thank you very much for finding her for me."

"Think nothing of it, my boy. We Clancers do everything we can to help those in need. Unfortunately, I don't know the whereabouts of your other two friends."

"It's okay. I know you've done everything you could. As long as Samus is safe, I'm happy." He put an arm around her waist and she smiled.

"Your highness, if it's not so much to ask, I would like to speak with Link in private," said Samus.

"That is no problem at all. That room over there should do just fine," responded the King as he gestured toward the door Samus and Jistr entered.

"Let's go," said Link as he led her to the door. The room grew deathly silent after the sound of a closing door. Aster coughed to himself. Teran adjusted his cap before speaking.

"Your majesty, is it really safe to trust these people?" he asked. Aster paused before replying.

"Why of course it is. What makes you think they can't be trusted? He saved Esperance from destruction."

"That may be your highness, but that doesn't mean that he might not be working for the Empire. What if he's a spy sent by Leo himself?"

"That's impossible. Where could Leo ever get a warrior so powerful? They even said that they have no idea how they ended up here."

"My point exactly. What if the Empire got to them first?" Aster paused again and pondered this. It was a possibility. Link and Samus could very well be working under the Empire as spies. And it fits perfectly in line with the start of the war. The defeat of the monster could have just been used as bait for the Resistance to fall for. Aster rapped his fingers on his throne a few times.

"Jistr," he started.

"Yes, your majesty?" replied Jistr as he stepped in front of him.

"Get Ron and Sarie in here. I need to know if there is anything else they know about our guests."

"Right away, sire." Jistr bowed and ran out the large double doors at the back. Ondine stirred uneasily in her seat. If Samus really was a spy, it would have meant that she nursed the enemy. Even worse, the enemy knew Ondine's whereabouts. It would only be a matter of time before she'd be reported to Leo. Then the dreaded army would come for her. She felt faint and began to slouch in her seat.

"Ondine, is everything okay?" asked her father.

"I don't feel so good," she replied slowly.

"BLOCKMAN, take her out for some fresh air."

"Yes, your majesty." Teran went up to the throne and led the princess down the steps.

"This way, Celes," he said as they walked to the back doors.

"Thank you, Teran." As they left, Jistr re-entered with Sarie and Ron by his side.

"Samus, you have no idea how glad I am that you're safe," said Link as he hugged her again.

"Okay, no ned to get mushy here. You had your chance five minutes ago," she replied as she moved from his touch. They were standing in an empty corridor. Another red carpet led down the hall and curved around the corner. More royal family members' portraits hung from the grey walls. The occasional potted plant or table lined the wall very now and then. Link rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

"Heh. Sorry," he said.

"It's okay. Now, what were you saying about Sonic?" Link started pacing up and down on a portion of the red carpet, Samus standing off to the side.

"Oh yeah, Sonic," he started. "He's not sure himself about why we ended up here instead of home like we were supposed to."

"I've been trying to figure that out myself, but those Clancers haven't given me many options to work with. They won't even let me out of the castle."

"Well, I may have a hypothesis to why we got stuck here."

"Shoot."

"Have you seen the time rifts outside?"

"The what?"

"Outside there are large black patches in the sky. These people refer to them a "time rifts." They have the power to bring the past into the present. That is how the Empire is summoning monsters. They are bringing them from the past when they ruled."

"And that's what all the fuss is about you killing that beast."

"Yes. Now, just hear me out. We came from the past and moved to the present, correct?"

"Yes."

"The time rifts cause things from the past to be brought into the future. They must have somehow intercepted Sonic's Chaos Control and caused it to go hay-wire, resulting in us being stranded on an alien planet. And it explains why we've all been separated from each other."

"I see how you figured it out," she said as she leaned on the wall, "But it still doesn't explain why we were sent here instead of somewhere else. If what you say is true, we could have ended up anywhere from here to the mansion back home."

"Exactly. Which is why there is still hope for Snake and Ike to be home already. Well, that's my theory anyway."

"It's pretty accurate if you ask me."

"Thank you." Samus got off the wall and stood in the middle of the carpet to face Link.

"So, you've agreed to fight with them in the war?" she asked.

"Yes," replied the Hylian as he continued to walk back and forth.

"That was my guess. You can't miss the opportunity to be heroic can you?"

"No, but I tried."

"But there's a better explanation behind it right?"

"Um, yeah. Not only will we be able to help these people, but we can also buy Sonic some time to find the seven Chaos Emeralds. That, and it gives us a chance to find Ike and Snake if they're here."

"So that's how you see it. But you know, there is the risk that we could be killed."

"I know. It is a risk we have to take. I mean, come on, we survived Raccoon City didn't we?"

"Link, that was different. We weren't in a war, we were fighting for our lives. Too many people were killed for the sake of others. I...I don't want to think about it."

"Oh, sorry."

"Besides, these people don't need us do they? The King did say he had an army. Why should we risk our lives for them?" Link stopped walking and faced down the hall ,away from Samus.

"Samus, look around you." She did, but didn't understand what he meant.

"What?"

"These people couldn't hurt a fly if they had the chance. Do you see any guards in these hallways? Did you see any in the throne room?" She shook her head, but realized he wasn't looking at her.

"No."

"Do you know how many soldiers were killed by that monster? Over 200. And just by one monster. You couldn't imagine an army of those things."

"Well, maybe the monster was too strong."

"How was I able to defeat it all on my own without breaking a sweat then? I could see their knees shaking. The fear in their eyes. Samus, these people are afraid to die. They are afraid of war. They were not meant to carry swords in their hands. They are a peaceful race, and the Empire has dragged them into this. If we don't help them, they will die; the King, the princess, everyone." Samus didn't respond to this but paused.

I had no idea..." she said quietly looking down at the ground. Link turned around and walked up to her so that they were standing face to face.

"I know you didn't. But that doesn't mean we can't do anything about it now. We don't need another Raccoon City on our hands." Samus looked up at him. It was like Raccoon City. Except, instead of the all-consuming T-Virus, it was the dreaded Empire they had to worry about. And in both cases, large masses of people were all killed. She folded her arms around herself as she remembered the mindless freaks following her up the city streets. The dead look in their eyes, the dark stare of evil. She shivered. For some reason, the corridor had become extremely cold. Link put out a hand to her. "We can save these people, but only if we work together. I need you with me," he said. She studied his gloved hand for what seemed like a half hour. The Triforce of Courage glowed gallantly on the back of his hand. She brought one of her hands to meet his. His heat circulated into her body as they connected, the stress of the city leaving wit the cold. A warm smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, Link," she said.

"Come here." They hugged again, this time longer. The mood had all of a sudden returned to them. Samus wanted to stay in this position forever, but reality called them back as Link let go. "They're probably wondering what we're doing," he said. "Let's head back. Samus nodded and followed him to the door leading back to the throne room. The sound of familiar voices ringed through Link's ears as he propped the side of his head up against the door. Samus stood behind him, a queer look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Shh! Listen." Samus got low and put her ear against the door. The voices were muffled, but the words could still be made out.

"...that's still not enough information," said Teran.

"We need to be certain if Link is truly on our side."

"Teran! Look at me! Would I lie to you?" replied Sarie.

"Could you at least give him a chance?" asked Ron.

"I suppose we could, but we need to be sure he's not working for the Empire. Teran, you will be appointed as Link's guide until this issue is over," said Aster.

"And Samus, my lord?" asked Jistr.

"Sarie. I'll put you in charge of that."

"Yes sir."

"So, it is decided that these two humans will are not to be trusted permanently, until they can prove themselves on the field of battle."

"Yes sir."

"Jistr, go and check on them please."

"Indeed my lord!" Link and Samus stood up when they heard footsteps coming towards the door.

"Quick! Act natural!" she cried.

"Wait how?!" She grabbed Link's face and pulled him into a kiss. At that instant, Jistr opened the door. He jumped back in surprise when he saw the two. Samus and Link had their eyes closed.

"Um...Am I interrupting something?" asked the servant nervously. The couple opened their eyes slowly, trying to act surprised at his intrusion, and pulled away from each other.

"Um, no. We're fine," said Samus. Link was too stunned for words as he started daydreaming with a stupid grin on his face.

"Oh, well good. The King would like you back inside..." he said as he walked back into the throne room. Link snapped out of his trance and looked at his girlfriend.

"That was awesome," he said.

"You better be grateful. I don't just give away my kisses for free," she replied as they stepped in. Link closed the door behind him, the feeling of Samus' warm lips still fresh on his.

"Ah, my boy, good to see you again," said the King. Link went to the centre of the room with Samus and the others and bowed.

"Always an honor, my lord."

"Quite. Now, after a series of complex decision making, we have finally come to a conclusion." The room went silent.

"It has been decided that you will fight along side my ranks. However, you will be accompanied by BLOCKMAN Teran. He will be your guide as you traverse the field of battle and train under our generals. The same goes for you, Miss Aran, but Sarie will be your companion." Samus bowed her head.

"Pardon me, your majesty, but who?" she asked.

"Sarie, behind you," said the King. Samus turned around to see the pink Clancer behind her.

"You?" asked Samus.

"Yep, nice to meet you," replied Sarie.

"Same here."

"Wait, what's all this for?" asked Link. "We don't need guards."

"They are not your guards. They are my eyes. In all honesty, you two are suspicious of working for the Empire. This is the safest way to ensue that you don't turn on us."

"You really think I work for the Empire?"

"You have been accused. It does not mean its true. Fighting with us only proves that we share common enemies. However, should I ever find you turning traitor, we will have no choice but to exterminate you. Do I make myself clear?" Link and Samus nodded. "Good. Jistr!"

"Yes my lord!"

"I want you to set up some rooms for our guests. It's what they deserve for helping us so far."

"Right away sire!" Jistr ran out of the room again with speed that seemed to rival that of Sonic.

"Teran and Sarie, I want you to introduce our guests to the Beast Sector. They should know who they wil be training under."

"Understood, sire," said Teran as he bowed his head. "This way you two." He and Sarie led the humans out of the room. Link and Teran walked beside each other as Samus and Sarie did the same. They walked down the corridors in silence for a bit before Link started a conversation.

"You know, I don't think this is really necessary," he said. Teran didn't look at him but continued walking.

"I don't trust you, you know," he said.

"What?" replied Link.

"I don't trust you. You may be staying in the castle, but that doesn't mean you are one of us. If you value your life, you better stay away from the princess." Link backed off.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, someone's in a grouchy mood today."

"Don't mind him, Link," said Sarie. "Teran's always like that." Teran gave her a glare before facing forward again.

"Why does the King call him 'BLOCKMAN Teran'?" asked Samus.

"Oh, that's because Teran has the BLOCKMAN blood in him," responded Sarie.

"What's that?"

"When Teran was born, the legendary BLOCKMAN hero who saved our planet from destruction in ancient days infused his soul into Teran's body. He had the only body strong enough to support a spirit as powerful as BLOCKMAN. Because of this, Teran has the ability to transform into BLOCKMAN any time he wants."

"That's not true, Sarie and you know it," said Teran arrogantly. "I haven't been able to transform into BLOCKMAN because of her."

"Who?" asked Link.

"None of your business who."

"Oh, Marina? Well she's not here anymore, so you don't have to worry about her. You've got me now!" chimed Sarie.

"I know. Except Marina was a better fighter than you'll ever be."

"Haha! You're funny, Terry!" she giggled. Teran was getting annoyed.

"Look, let's just show these two to Lunar before I lose my mind. Am I the only one who cares about the future of this kingdom?"

"Doesn't the King care?" asked Samus.

"Oh he does, believe me. But sometimes he makes decisions that he regrets. That's why I always have to be there to confirm whether what he's thinking is a smart thing or not."

"That's not good."

"Of course it's not good. This war would already be lost if it wasn't for me."

"Tha'ts understandable."

"Okay, stop now."

"What?"

"Humoring me."

"Uh, okay..." Suddenly, an explosion could be heard outside. The ground was shaking uncontrollably. Link nearly lost his balance.

"What the hell was that!?" cried Teran. A lone Clancer guard turned the corner and sprinted towards the group.

"Teran! Come quickly!" he cried. "Princess Ondine is in danger!"

"What?! How can that be!? I told her to stay in the garden!"

"She is! but the monster found a way to get past the wall! You must hurry!" Without hesitation, Teran dashed down the corridors.

"Nows your chance to prove yourselves, humans!" said Teran as he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Um, what does he mean by that?" asked Samus.

"He means he wants us to help destroy whatever is in the garden," replied Link. "Come on, the princess needs us!"

The group sprinted down the hallway attempting to follow Teran's path. Pictures and faces blew by Link's head as he maneuvered through the halls. Eventually they came to a door leading to the garden.

"There it is!" cried Sarie. Link burst through the door. He was blinded briefly by the sunlight but soon made out the large figure in the garden. A giant worm was thrashing about, crashing through trees, plants, stones and wood structures. Teran was off to the side, the princess crouched behind him screaming.

"Link! Do something!" he cried. Upon hearing this, the Hylian sprung into action. He drew out his sword and slashed across the face of the beast when it got close. Blood spurted from it's face as it was sent flying into the stone castle wall. Samus ran up behind him, but Link put an arm out to block her.

"I can handle this thing," he said calmly. The worm was still stunned from the attack. Link ran up and performed a finishing blow. He leapt up into the air and stabbed the worm in the heart, pushing his entire body weight into the attack. With a final cry, the ugly beast fell to the ground and disappeared into the soil. Link taunted by swinging his sword around professionally and seething it. Everyone went silent. Teran couldn't ring the words to speak.

"That was..." he started.

"-Fast," finished Samus. "You barely put up a fight for that thing."

"I know," said Link, "What do you think I've been telling you?" Sarie and the guard gave an applaud.

"Amazing! Just like what happened last time!" she cheered. Ondine was a little stunned as Teran helped her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I...Thank you," she replied nervously. Link smiled in return.

"Any time."

"Well, Green Warrior. Your reputation precedes you. I'm impressed," said the Clancer.

"Thank you. That's just what I wanted to hear."

"But don't think you're off the hook yet. I'm watching you." With that, Teran led the princess back into the castle. Sarie patted Link on the back.

"Don't worry about him. He's just jealous because he can't fight nearly as good as you," she assured. he Hylian nodded in agreement.

"That's probably it." Sarie walked back into the castle followed by the guard.

"Jistr should have your rooms up by now. Please, come this way," she said entering the door. Samus and Link looked at each other before walking to the door. He stopped in front of the door and turned around to face the castle wall.

"Link, something wrong?" asked Samus. Link's ears pricked at a strange scratching sound, but it soon disappeared as quickly as it came. He shrugged his shoulders and faced her.

"Uh, nothing. Come on, let's go. I want to see what they have in store for us."

"Me too."

They went in and closed the door behind them. A cloaked figure stood atop the castle wall and looked about the garden. It's white cape was fluttering in the wind. A bird-like mask was covering it's face. The figure stood tall with perfect posture. Nothing could disturb it's stance. With a low cough, the creature spoke out loud.

"So, this is the strength of the Green Warrior. Snake was right."


	5. Meet Marina

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

Chapter 5: Meet Marina

Ten years ago, the planet of Clance came under attack by the Empire. Total destruction fell upon the land. The fields, the mountains, the villages, all turned to flame. In those days, there was no ope to save the Clacers from annihilation. Emperor Leo made sure that no one would stand in his way. His three most loyal soldiers, the Beast sector, performed his evil acts by their own will. And there was no one that could stand for justice's sake. The King was forced to go into hiding, along with Princess Ondine and her brother Teran. The Clancers were on the verge of extinction.

Until one day, one person changed all that. Two distinct creatures, a human and a robot, were on a space expedition near the far reaches of the galaxy. The pair travelled in a red ship which represented their home. Their little piece of Earth. They stumbled upon the burning planet, and out of curiosity, they landed upon it's surface. What the two Earthlings saw scarred their minds forever. Civilians being beaten on the streets, soldiers burning homes to the ground, people killing each other just to survive. Of the two foreigners, the human who was a scientist, only saw fit to investigate the situation and try to do what he could to help these dying people.

The Empire was quick to catch on to their motives. Soon, the professor was captured by Leo's sentries. He planned on using the scientist's vast knowledge on robotics to help manufacture a super army. The professor's only companion, the robot, went out to save it's former creator. The robot met tons of different people, all belonging to the same race of Clance. The robot also met the Beast Sector, composing of Lunar the Wolf, Tarus the Ape, and Merco the Falcon. The robot defeated all three of these warriors and managed to confront Leo once and for all. With the help of Teran, the robot saved the scientist from Leo's clutches, and in time, destroyed the Empire, along with Leo and all the fires he summoned upon the land. Clance was finally at peace. The Beast Sector was converted to the side of good, as it was soon discovered thereafter that they had been brainwashed by Leo the entire time.

As a sign of his thanks, King Aster granted a gift upon Lunar, Tarus, Marco, and the robot. He gave them a Clancer blessing. The spiritual magic behind this ritual caused a huge transformation within the bowels of these four warriors. They were no longer robotic or animal-like. Aster had turned them all into humans. All the Clancers held a celebration all over the planet to celebrate their victory and the defeat of Leo. Soon enough, the robot and the scientist had to make their good-byes. They set off in their ship, away from Clance and back to Earth from whence they came. And forever shall they be honored as the saviors of Clance. Fover shall they be remembered as the saviorsof Clance.

Marina Liteyears sat up in her bed and yawned. It was a new morning, a new day. But there was no sunlight entering through the window across the small room. She glanced outside briefly to examine the far off stars and planets; all of which appeared as small white dots. She stretched her arms up, not even close to touching the ceiling. The human rubbed her eyes before hopping out of bed and slipping into some blue slippers. She was used to this fleshy body by now. She didn't stumble across the floor anymore like she did years ago. She could control her breathing much better. No longer did Marina need that metal cap to cover her hair. Her greenish hair was clean and free from it's metallic prison. Being a human felt so good. She smirked to herself, but the expression soon disappeared when she heard the thunderous voice from down the hall.

"Marina! Where's my breakfast!?"

Marina made a pouted face as she grabbed her robe and threw it over herself before exiting the room. The door slid shut behind her as she entered the living room/kitchen in the next room. Professor Theo sat slouched on the low seat, a frown on his face.

"What took you so long?" he asked arrogantly. Marina rolled her eyes before replying to the fat man.

"Um, I was sleeping. Is that such a crime?" The old man spat his coffee out of his mouth cartoon style before wiping his white beard.

"Sleeping?! You can't be sleeping! You have a job to do!"

"I know! But I need my rest! It's not like I can just recharge my batteries anymore!" said Marina waving her arms around. The professor stared at the young woman for a few seconds before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Aw, don't worry about it. You can repay me tonight," said the professor casually. Marina clenched a fist as she stared at the fat man, fire burning in her eyes.

"What did you say?" she said slowly.

"Tonight. You can repay me tonight."

"And by that you mean?"

"Oh...Um nothing."

"I know what you're thinking you pervert! It's not going to happen! Not even in your dreams!"

"Oh come on! I made you! The least you could do is do whatever I say!"

"Even after I saved your ass all those times you still think you can just take advantage of me like that?!"

"Well, you were cute back then. I mean, you were a robot. But now, you have skin. You are an actual woman now. And...And..." The professor started drooling as he studied Marina's breast area. She realized what he was doing and instantly turned red as she tried to cover herself.

"Okay! That's it!" she screamed as she ran over and grabbed Theo by his collar. He cried out when she lifted him up and tossed him through one of the walls into another room. She started breathing heavily as the professor's body rose up. The looked at each other through the giant hole in the wall. Marina was the first to speak. "Why does every morning have to start like this? I'm not your play-thing!" she barked. Professor Theo dusted the dry wall off his shoulders before stepping back into the living room/kitchen.

"You better fix that," he said before he sat down and reached for his mug. Marina just stared at him from across the table.

"That's all you have to say?" she asked. The professor nodded and took another sip.

"Fix the wall, make my breakfast, and do the other chores you normally do," he replied.

Marina stood still for a little bit before she walked over to the mess and started picking up the pieces. She pulled out some duct tape from a nearby drawer and started plastering the wall back up. Every day has been the exact same thing since they left that planet. There were no more planets to discover anymore. All of them had been occupied by some alien life forms one way of another. And every time they tried to do and expedition, they would end up getting chased off like they were criminals. But they weren't. Marina may have been violent, but that didn't mean she was dangerous. The professor threw her around like she was a doll. Sometimes Marina wondered why she even travelled with this guy. The most logical answer would have to be because he created her; all from scratch.

She was the project he had spent his whole life working on. Fifty years were put into the development of the Ultra Intergalactic Cybot-G. Fifty years of preparation and creation. She was everything he had ever dreamed of. A personal maid to attend to whatever he wished. A maid whom Professor Theo named, Marina Liteyears. He had won the nobel prize in his time for this marvelous creation. Unfortunately, things were not as good as they seemed. Sure, Theo had his pulicity, and Marina had her share of fame, but it wasn't long before the government decided to take things into their own hands.

Marina was abducted by the US military and taken to Area 51 in Nevada. They feared for her to be used as a weapon for terrorism, with which Theo was also suspected of. He fell into a state of depression for a few years, mourning over the loss of his most prized possession. It wasn't until one rainy day in August 1998, that his dreams became a reality. Marina had appeared on his front doorstep one evening. Theo couldn't believe his eyes. She had escaped the confinement of the military. She really was a super weapon. Unfortunately, she had killed a few men in order to make her escape. Theo was stricken by this, Never in his life would he even dream of building machines that killed people. His talent was meant for the greater good of mankind, yet this robot, Marina Liteyears, had killed innocent people, all for his own sake.

It was then that Theo made a decision. He would build a ship, and he would leave this planet forever. He could no longer stay with the humans. They would never forgive him for what Marina had done. So, he set off with his only companion to the outer reaches of the galaxy. Together, they made a vow to explore as many uncharted planets and stars as they could before they die. They would meet as many different life forms as they could, and record as many findings as they could; for it was all they had to live for now.

And Theo kept getting more and more attached to Marina with each passing day. The thought that she returned to him on that fateful day still lingers through the back of his mind. He couldn't keep his mind of her. For the first time in his life, Professor Theo was in love. But that all changed soon when he tried to take advantage of her. Marina knew he loved her, but a relationship at this point was pointless. How could a human love a robot? More importantly, how could a father love a so-called daughter? Never mind the fact that he was about 50 years older than her. But Marina couldn't leave him. Not after all the pain he had gone through for her. She made a pact with him. Marina would remain by Theo's side no matter what, whether he be abducted by aliens or thrown into the pits of a volcano, Marina would be there, to save him or to die with him. So, there was a kind of love between them, but not the one Theo would prefer to have. Just as long as she didn't leave him, he would be happy.

Marina slapped the last of the duct tape on before standing back to view the fruits of her efforts. Strangely, the wall looked batter than how it had first looked. But now her clothes were all dusty from working. She sighed as the professor adjusted his glasses and took another sip from his coffee. A small book was lying on the table, open halfway. He looked at the new wall before turning back to his book.

"It looks terrible," he said. Marina glanced back at the wall and at the professor again.

"It looks fine! Better than that pukey color that was there in the first place. Honestly, I wonder how your life would be if you didn't have me to do your work for you all the time. You would be less lazy, I'm sure. And probably more fit..."

"Yes...Maybe...Anyways, I'm still waiting for my breakfast. You know how I can't work on an empty stomach. Look, I even took the pan out and everything." He gestured to the nearby clean stove. Marina rolled her eyes before walking out of the room. "Hey! Where are you going?" asked the professor. Marina turned around at the door.

"I'm going to go wash up. But if you would rather have dry wall in your eggs, that's fine by me," she said. Theo noticed the dust falling out of her green hair.

"Okay okay, just hurry up." Marina put her hands on her hips and did not move. "Hurry up, PLEASE."

"That's better." She proceeded out of the room. Theo took another sip of his coffee before hunching over more to read his book.

Marina threw her robe onto her small dresser as she entered the bathroom. She could feel herself wanting to fall back onto her bed, but she knew she couldn't now. When you make a commitment, you have to stick with it. She walked into the enclosed room and stared at herself in the mirror.

Man, was she a mess. Several specks of dry wall debris could be seen all over her face and hair. Her eyes had that sleep gunk in it, complimented by the small bags. Her hair was all over the place. She should have known better than to leave her room without cleaning herself up.

Of course, if she was a robot, she wouldn't need to worry about any of these problems. Being a human was fun and all, but there were some things about being made out of metal that just had it's kicks. Like how you never have to do up your hair in the morning, it just does itself up. Having super strength, the ability to lift heavy bricks with your pinky. But if there was one thing she missed about being a robot the most, it would have to be her jet pack. That was the real fun part. Flying around and hovering all over the place. Now, she barely had the stamina to run and jump. But being a human wasn't all bad either. You could experience feelings, not just the want to fulfill a certain task. Now, Marina could feel anger, sadness, joy, every feeling there is. She could enjoy life like a normal person. However, everything has it's drawbacks. She now has to breathe in order to stay alive, something that she never even thought of when she was a robot. She has the need to clean herself every few hours, on the outside and inside. She will eventually die of age if she lives too long, another thing she never had to worry about as a robot. If being a human was so bad, why did she want to be one? Did she want to experience new things in life? Did she think it would make Theo more comfortable around her? No. She just wanted to make him happy.

Theo could never have children of his own, which was why he cared so much about Marina. She was his robot daughter now turned to a human. She giggled to herself when she compared her situation to that of Pinnochio. Except she won't be growing any long noses any time soon.

Marina reached into the shower and turned on the hot water. Theo's head lifted up when he heard the shower turning on. He paused for a few moments before turning back to his book. Guess he would have to wait a little bit longer for his breakfast. He didn't need to bug her now. He remembered what happened last time he walked in when she was in the shower. Marina nearly threw him out of the ship.

"_She should control that temper of hers_..." he thought to himself as he leaned back. He stroked his thick beard a few times before standing up and walking over to the window. Various stars and planets passed by the viewer. Space was dead silent. The only sound was that of the engines and hot water whispering through the walls. But that didn't disturb this infinite peace, for as everyone knows, there is no sound in space. Theo continued to stare out the window. They were still on course. Planet Clance was just a few more parsecs away from their position. It would only be a matter of time before Theo saw all his old friends again. The shower was still on. Theo was losing his patience. He was so hungry, he felt as if he hadn't eaten since last week. But his mind knew that it was only a mere few hours difference since his last meal. He looked at the empty pan on the stove before giving a small sigh.

"Fine, Marina. You win this time."

Marina stepped out of the bedroom, a red towel wrapped around her hair. Her blue eyes sparkled under what lights there were on the ceiling. She rubbed the towel into her hair as she entered the kitchen. She dropped her towel on the floor when a peculiar smell caught her nose.

"Is that...eggs?" she said out loud. She looked to the side to see Theo by the stove stirring the yellow substance with a spatula. He noticed her and smiled under his beard.

"Breakfast is on me toady, Marina," he said. Marina's eyes went wide, not even realizing the towel was still on the floor. Had Professor Theo actually made himself breakfast? He hasn't done that in well over a year! She was both surprised and shocked by this.

"W-What made you change your mind all of a sudden?" she asked. He slid the eggs on to a plate that had bacon, toast and diced potatoes on it. He put down the pan and lifted up two plates of food.

"Hunger," he replied.

"Maybe I should give you a break. Please, sit down." Marina adjusted her white t-shirt and sat down at the table. Two glasses of orange juice were already filled to the top on the two spots. Two forks and knives were also set already. Not only did Theo cook breakfast, but he set the table as well. What's got into him all of a sudden. He set down the plate in front of Marina and she stared at the food. It sure looked good. Theo took a seat with his food. "I haven't cooked in a while. But, that doesn't mean I don't know how to," he said.

"Well, I'm not complaining."

"Dig in. We'll be arriving on Clance shortly."

"Finally. It's been years since we've seen them."

"They haven't changed, I'm sure of it. They'll remember you."

"Yep. We'll actually be able to enjoy ourselves this time. No more Emperor Leo to cause trouble."

"Cheers to that."

They both lifted their glasses and clanked them together before starting their excellent meal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is my room!?"

Link was standing in what seemed to be a mini ball room. Only in this room, there was assorted furniture such as dressers, drawers and two beds. The beds alone nearly made up half the bright room. Link's mouth dropped to the floor when he heard Jistr say it was his.

"Please, young master. Enjoy," said the servant as he walked down the hall to show Samus her room. Teran stood arms crossed next to the Hylian. Link was still awe-struck from the sight of this place. It was bigger than his room at Smash Mansion. Teran did not move a muscle.

"You know, this doesn't all belong to you. We're sharing this room, remember?" he said. Link turned to the shorter creature.

"I know. It's because you still don't trust me right?"

"Yes. You may have defeated that monster in the garden. But it doesn't mean you're not secretly working for the Empire. That battle could have just been a diversion to earn our trust. Well, I'm not falling for it."

"Fine, suit yourself. No matter what you say, I'll just keep saying I don't work for them. That is the truth."

"You could be lying to me."

"Man, no wonder you don't have many friends."

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing. Hey they've got a balcony too?" Link ran over to the other side of the room towards a giant window. A tile balcony could be seen on the other side. The Hylian slid the window open and stepped out into the fresh air. The sound of singing Clancers in the distance soon filled the air. The sound felt so refreshing. He felt like he was floating. Link couldn't stop smiling. For a planet that was undergoing war, it seemed pretty healthy. Link pulled out his blue ocarina and started playing with the Clancers. He couldn't help himself. The music was just too beautiful. He hit every note on time, even harmonizing at some parts. It wasn't long before Teran realized what he was doing that he came out to join him.

"You play music?" asked the Clancer. Link took his mouth off the instrument and turned to his friend.

"Sure do. Been playing for almost twelve years now."

"Cool. Well don't mind me, please continue." Link shrugged his shoulders and soon picked up where he left off. For some reason, he could sense that the Clancers on the other side could hear his instrument playing. He was feeling awkward as Teran continued to stare at him. The Hylian stopped.

"What?" he asked. Teran seemed to be lost in some kind of trance. He snapped out of it after a few seconds. "Hey you okay?" asked Link.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just that, I don't know. You play so...Uh. You play good," said the Clancer a bit embarrassed.

"Hey thanks. That means a lot coming from you."

"If it's okay...I'd like to hear more."

"Okay." Link put his ocarina up to his mouth and continued. It didn't last long though as soon, the song had ended. Link put down his ocarina.

"That was short," he said.

"The song's over. Why don't you get them started on one?" suggested Teran.

"Okay. Let's see..." Link put his mouth to the piece and started playing a new song. It was fast and upbeat. The song had a bit of a ring to it, too. It was one of those songs where, if you hear it once, you can't forget it. After going through the short riff once, the Clancers memorized the tune. They sang along with Link's ocarina, some of them harmonizing as he did for their song. Teran felt the need to dance, but he couldn't risk embarrassing himself in front of this guy again. He didn't need to develop a soft spot for these strangers. For some reason, the song was reminding him of the great forests scattered about Clance. Something about the song made him think about trees and woodlands. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, though. Link stopped playing as the Clancers continued without him.

"What song is that?" asked Teran. Link put away his ocarina.

"I don't know. I never really gave it a name. A very good friend of mine taught me that song a long time ago. I guess the only name I gave it was the name of the original artist."

"Who's that?"

"Her name was Saria. I haven't seen her for years though."

"So, the name of the song is 'Saria'?"

"No, I refer to it as 'Saria's Song'."

"Yeah, that sounds better. Come on, let's head back in."

"Right." The two re-entered the bedroom without saying anything to each other. Link felt somewhat more attached to Teran. There was a very good friendship bond on that balcony. Maybe Teran trusted him more after hearing the sound of his innocent ocarina. Then the question occurred to him.

"Hey Teran, how come you didn't sing with us? I mean, you like the song right?" Teran was feeling embarrassed again. He pulled his cap down to avoid Link's gaze as they walked through the room. After some blank silence, Teran spoke up.

"I...Um...I can't sing," he said. Link raised an eyebrow at this.

"Can't sing? That's weird. Sarie told me that all Clancers could sing."

"Well I can't okay!"

"Easy there. I didn't mean to make you upset. It's no big deal is it?"

"It is, Link. ALL Clancers can sing. But me, I can't. It's just the way I am."

"Have you ever tried?"

"Yes. But I can't. I'm not allowed to. I have BLOCKMAN blood in me. In exchange for that gift of power, my singing voice was taken from me. I am fierce on the fields of combat, but at the gatherings, no. I can't sing at all. That's how everyone knows me. I'm that guy who can't sing." Link didn't reply. He felt pretty bad for this guy. Poor Teran couldn't sing. It was almost like a disability. Suddenly, an idea came to Link's mind.

"You know," he started, "you don't have to necessarily sing in order to make music. I mean, look at me. I can't sing either, but once I get my hands on an ocarina, well, you know."

"There is more than one way to play a song. That is true. But how could I ever find the time to learn to play an instrument. My duty is to the King and Princess. My duty is to the kingdom. It is my job to protect it. I'm too busy to be bothered with small things such as music."

"I see your point. Well, how about after this is all over. Would you consider then?"

"Maybe. That is, if we don't all get killed by the time is over."

"We won't."

"What do you mean? How do you know?"

"I just know. The Empire seems strong, but not as strong as I would have expected. With Samus and I leading your army, we should do just fine."

"I would never allow you to train my army. Remember, I still have my doubts about you. Leave the training to the generals. They're suited for the job just as anyone."

"If you say so." The pair exited the room and closed the door behind them. Samus and Sarie walked out to the hallway from their room across the hall. "How's your room look?" asked Link.

"Big. That's all I'll say," replied Samus.

"Heh. Same here."

"Man, these guys sure know how to live in style. Hey, I heard you playing Saria's Song out there. It sounded great. I haven't heard you play that song in a while." Link could still hear the Clancers singing that song outside. He smirked.

"Well, I was in the mood. I'll show you it some time," he said.

"OK! Could we please move it along people?" said Teran all of a sudden. "I want you to meet the Beast Sector before the sun goes down."

"The Beast Sector?" asked Samus.

"The generals leading our army into battle," replied Sarie.

"Oh good. I want to meet these guys. Lead the way, Teran," said Link.

"Indeed," replied the Clancer. The four of them made their way down the halls. Link stopped at the sound of a sharp whisper. Someone was calling his name. He quickly turned around and looked back down the hall. The voice continued to call him. He walked back to his room. "Hey Link! where do you think you're going?" said Teran. Link turned around again to see the Clancer heading right for him. Samus and Sarie kept going.

"Oh, I thought I heard something," said the Hylian.

"Like what?" asked Teran.

"I don't know. It sounded like it was coming from our room."

"Really now?"

"I'm almost certain there was. Let me just take a look."

"Alright, if you really MUST go then I'm going to have to come with you. Im sure you understand."

"Yeah yeah, you don't trust me, yadda-yadda-yadda."

"Right."

Link opened the door and stepped into the large room again. Everything was just the way they left it. The windows were open, the balcony door was closed, all the furniture seemed in order. But there was a mysterious presence lurking about the room. What was it? Link drew his sword and shield and looked about the room. There was someone here.

"What is it?" asked Teran as he walked in.

"Shh," replied the Hylian. The two stood in silence for a bit. The only sound was that of the window blowing into the room. Link was about to sheath his weapons until a floating object caught his eye. A piece of paper, folded into a paper airplane, glided into the room. It twisted and turned through the air as it landed in front of the two. Link withdrew his weapons and picked up the paper.

"A paper airplane?" asked Teran.

"No, a message," replied Link as he unfolded the paper. Teran read it from the side.

_Dear Link,_

_If you got this message, you must be alone. I want to thank you for informing us on the whereabouts of Princess Ondine. She is a key factor we need in winning this war. You have proven to be a most valuable asset to the Empire. Leo could not thank you personally, so I will give you my thanks instead. You may continue to skulk about the castle. Learn as much information about the King's army as possible. Report back in 24 hours. Oh, and one other thing, destroy this message once you have finished reading it. We don't need anyone getting suspicious of you._

_-Angel_

Link's hands shook as he read the lines over in this letter. Who sent this thing? Who is Angel? Teran's eyes flared red when he finished reading. He snatched the letter from Link's hands.

"You liar! You have been working for the Empire the entire time!" he shouted. Link backed off.

"What!? No! You actually belive that!? I've been framed!" Teran waved the letter in front of Link's face.

"The evidence is right here! I knew there was something fishy about you! You are under arrest!" Teran grabbed Link's wrist. Link tried to get away, but couldn't. Teran was unusually strong for his height.

"I'm telling you the truth! I would never go against the King!" cried Link.

"I've had enough to hear! By order of his majesty, anyone caught guilty of high treason is to be executed immediately!" Link's eyes got wide when he heard this.

"No!" he shouted as he kicked Teran in the leg. Teran bent down in pain. Link punched his straight in the face. The Clancer was sent flying into the door. The letter was still clenched in his fist. There was no way Link would be able to convince the others that he's innocent. He looked about the room. If he was going to escape, now would be his only chance.

Link ran for the balcony. He burst through the glass door and looked over the railing. The castle courtyard sat below, along with a 200 foot drop to an instant death. If he could get far enough, he would be able to jump onto the castle wall. Link stepped back and ran to the edge. He leaped over the railing and landed on the wall a few feet below. He turned back to see Teran getting to his feet. Link looked away and jumped off the wall onto the ground outside. He landed with a summersault before jumping to his feet. He now outside the castle gates.

"_Was that really the right thing to do? Would they have given me a chance if I just went with him? No, I couldn't talk myself out of it. Teran would just go against anything I said. I guess, I'm on my own now. Wait, what about Samus. If they know she's my friend, would they go after her too? She doesn't know about the letter. I have to go back! I could just fight my way to them. No, that would only give them the proof they need if they find me attacking guards. It's weird how Teran turned on me all of a sudden_..."

"Having trouble?"

Link turned around to see the owner of the voice. A figure was standing in front of him, it's face covered by a bird mask. The stranger had a white cape blowing in the wind, along with a white cloak to match. Who was this guy? Link did not draw his sword but just stared at the bird man.

"Trouble? Yes. Who are you?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you've heard of me," said the stranger. "I go by the name of Angel." At this, Link drew his sword in an instant and pointed it at the figure.

"You set me up!" he said loudly. Angel didn't seem afraid at all.

"I did, Link," he said.

"How do you know my name?"

"Someone told me. We've been watching you for a long time now, Link. We are all aware how you single handedly defeated those monsters. Very impressive."

"Who told you about me?"

"Oh, a friend I guess you could say. But that's not important. What is important is that you've been kicked out of the castle. That makes you an easy target for the Empire." Link was about to step forward with his sword when he heard the clicking of a gun's safety lock. The figure was pointing a Desert Eagle Magnum at Link's forehead. The stranger gave a small smirk under his mask. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. Link holstered his weapon and clenched his fists.

"What do you want from me?" he asked seriously.

"What I want and what the Empire wants from you are two totally different things. I'll answer for both of us anyway. The Empire, Emperor Leo, wants you to fight for us. He wants your strength and fighting skills. With you on our side, the Resistance wouldn't stand a chance. What do I want? Well, it's nothing much. You seem to know a lot about it, though. I'm looking for the Chaos Emeralds. And you, Link, are going to help me find them."


	6. Angel

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

Chapter 6: Angel

"There it is Theo! There's Clance!"

"Where? I don't see anything!"

"Open your eyes! It's right there! Look!"

Marina waved her arms hysterically and pointed at the planet coming into view form the main viewer. Professor Theo squinted his eyes beneath his glasses before replying.

"That can't be it. It's way too small."

Marina rolled her eyes and sighed.

"No, it's the same planet. We're just too far away from it. Look, you'll se the trademark Clancer face on it soon."

The blue planet edged closer and closer into view. Theo had some opera music playing over the speakers of the interior of the ship. He found that it calmed him down. Marina, on the other hand, hated opera. She was a party girl, and proffered more upbeat, faster style music with crazy guitar solos. Yep, she was a head banger. But you would never guess that by looking at her now, in a formal appearance. She poked her finger on the window and tried to point at the planet as it became more focused.

"See it now?"

Theo squinted again and shook his head.

"No. Ar you trying to trick me?"

Marina slapped herself in the face before responding.

"Are you blind old man!? It's right there! Look, the sun's over there, there's the moon, and Clance is sitting right in the middle of them! How can you not see that!?"

Theo paused and studied the small planet as it got bigger. He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Now I see it," he said calmly.

"It's about time. Man, you really must be deaf."

"No, I just like making you mad. You're so cute when you're angry."

Marina gave him an evil stare and he backed off.

"Um, I was just joking of course, heh heh. It's all in good fun!" lied the professor.

"Sure, whatever. Let's just land this thing already. I don't know how much longer I can stand to be in this ship with you."

Marina killed the jets as the ship got pulled into the planet's gravity.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Empire's carrier landed smoothly onto the ground as the engine died down. The man with the bird mask continued to point his gun at Link's head. The Hylian gritted his teeth as a group of Clancers in black armor approached him.

"Is he the one?" asked one of the soldiers to the bird man.

"Yes," replied Angel, "He is the Green Warrior we've all been hearing about. Take him aboard. Leo wants to have a little talk with him. Personally."

Two masked Clancers bound Link into what looked like handcuffs. Another soldier completely stripped him of all his weapons and tossed them into the cargo hold of the ship. Angel holstered his weapon and stepped on board the ship, followed by Link and the soldiers. Link couldn't say anything. He felt that any kind of plead would be useless. He actually felt afraid. But, they were only Clacners were they not? 'Vulnerable,' as he remembered how they put it. If they really were weak, why was Link so afraid? Was it the armor? The masks? The organization? Or was it the bird man? None of the guard within the castle had firearms of any sort. Yet, this Angel person had what looked like an entire arsenal on him when compared to the King's army.

If this Empire was as strong as Link feared, the Resistance already lost the war. They could not fight this. Link took as sat between two soldiers who held his arms to keep him from doing anything. They were awfully strong for their size. Angel sat in the seat across from him, continuing to stare at the Hylian's face. The other soldiers took seats wherever they saw fit. The huge carrier lifted off the ground and took off into the Clancer clouds. Link was getting more annoyed by the minute.

"_How come no one came to rescue me? I was standing right outside the castle gates! And not one guard noticed this giant ship land and take me_?"

Link coughed to himself nervously. Angel wouldn't stop staring at him through those red, bird yes. The Hylian tried to ignore it, but it was getting to him. He couldn't believe the sudden turn of events. Just a few minutes ago, he was inside the castle, going down to meet the so-called "Beast Sector." Now, he was on an enemy ship, being transported to God knows where where they're more than likely going to imprison, interrogate, or execute him. The thoughts were all jumbled in his mind and he couldn't stay focused. He gave an evil glance at Angel before speaking.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

Angel shook his head slowly as he responded.

"I already told you. If you can't remember, it's not my problem," he replied in a muffled voice.

Link could automatically tell he was one hundred percent human. But how does a human end up on this planet in the first place? Link took this into consideration as well as what he had said earlier to him. The master of puzzle solving closed his eyes and thought.

"_He said he wanted me to help him find the Chaos Emeralds. I have to assume he already knows what those are capable of. The King said that the Beat Sector was entirely human, plus a fourth one who left a long time ago. This guy can't be the fourth human they were talking about. If he was, why would he be sided with the Empire? He could have been brainwashed, but what's the possibility of these people possessing that kind of technology? Now, he wasn't born here, that's a fact. So he must have arrived here by some sort of transport. But that can't be because he would have to be with more people. Unless there are other humans who have sided with the Empire I don't know about. That answer is highly unlikely. Wait, he said that his and the Empire's intentions were completely different. He seeks the Chaos Emeralds, but for what purpose? I know that Sonic can use the power of the emeralds to turn into his super form. He can also use Chaos Control to warp across dimensions, which is how we ended up here in the first place. And since Angel isn't from Clance_..."

Link looked up at the bird man before looking at the metal flooring.

"..._He must want the Chaos Emeralds to return to his home planet. Which means, he's in the same boat as us. He must be using his position in the Empire as an excuse to get what he needs. It's a perfect plan, but I saw right through it_."

"What makes you think I know anything about the Chaos Emeralds?" asked the Hylian as innocently as he could. Angel paused before looking at him.

"You really want to discuss this with these gentlemen in the room?" he replied.

Link looked at the short soldier sitting next to him before turning back to Angel.

"I see. Well, could you at least tell me where are you taking me?"

"It's not important right now. You just sit tight. We'll be arriving shortly."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Teran! What is the meaning of this!"

King Aster rose from his throne, an angry look upon his face. Teran burst into the room, violently pulling on Samus' wrist. She fought back aggressively, but the BLOCKMAN was too strong.

"Your majesty! Pardon my intrusion, but it appears that these 'humans' are not who they claim to be!" said Teran.

He walked before the King and threw Samus on the carpeted floor in front of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" shouted Samus as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. "You didn't even give me a reason to why you started dragging me down the hallway!"

"Indeed, BLOCKMAN, speak now. What is this treachery you are committing?" said the King in a deep voice.

"Ah, treachery, your highness! A very shrewd word to say on this matter. My mind is a bit foggy. What is the definition of the word 'treachery?' I believe it stands for 'betrayal' or 'deceptive actions of nature'. A crime that must be repaid harshly. I present to you, Samus Aran! The most treacherous woman standing in this room! She has turned against the crown!"

"What's this? Samus, surely this can't be true," said the King.

Samus crossed her arms and looked back at Teran.

"This isn't true. Your little 'BLOCKMAN warrior' here must have few screws loose, because I have no idea what he's talking about."

Teran pulled out the letter from behind him and waved it above his head.

"I have proof that these humans are for the Empire. Look here! A letter directed to one Mr. Link, informing him on updated duties presented to him by Emperor Leo!"

Samus snatched the evidence immediately and looked over it. She skimmed through it twice, but took more time to analyze the signature.

"_Angel? Who the hell is that?_"

She tore the letter on the spot and let the pieces flutter to the floor. Teran made no reaction.

"This is a load of bullshit! You actually believe this thing is real!? Link does not work for the Empire! Neither do I! We've only been here for a few hours! How does that make sense?!"

The King pondered this, stroking his thick beard. Teran, although he made no facial expression, seemed to have a full out smirk on his face. He really did believe he was triumphant over these outcasts. Samus couldn't believe the King was buying this. She needed backup from Link. Where was he anyway?

"It seems as though you are working for Leo," said Aster.

Samus' mouth just dropped to the floor. Was this King pulling her leg, or was he really that stupid? Where is the logic? Anyone can point fingers at anyone. And whether anyone believe the accusations or not was entirely up to them. But the King, a person who should be governing his country with the upmost protection and confidence, falls for a simple letter such as this.

"Right, sire. What shall I do with this scum?" asked Teran happily as he grabbed Samus' ponytail.

"Hey, watch it you little prick!" she hissed at him.

She was really starting to hate this guy. REALLY starting to hate him. The King waved his hand as a sign for Teran to let go. He complied and waited patiently for execution orders.

"I cannot allow a traitor to stay behind my walls. Yet, I cannot fully trust the words embedded in that letter. Teran, where is Link?" asked his highness.

Teran was pleased to answer.

"He ran off the moment I realized his intentions. All the more proof you need, sire. He fled when I found out the truth. I'm surprised Miss. Aran hasn't tried the same tactic."

Samus gritted her teeth before looking back up at the King.

"Your majesty, if it's not so much to ask, do you mind if I go search for Link? I don't want him to be out there all alone."

"He's not alone. He has a whole horde of monsters guarding him," said Teran from behind.

That was it.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Samus spun on her heel and nailed Teran square in the face, causing him to fly back and into the double doors at the back of the room. He hit the ground hard with a thud. Teran didn't expect the attack, but wiped the blood off his face as he got to his feet. "Attacking me on royal grounds only proves your guilt even more Samus. If you are trying to look innocent, you are doing a terrible job at it," he said. Samus' eyes flared red. She bolted it to his position and performed a drop kick onto his chest. Both of them landed on the carpet at the same time, and they both recovered at the same time.

"You want to knock it off with the insults before I knock that frickin' cap off your head?" she said angrily.

He did not seem at all fazed by her words.

"If you want to fight, we can take this outside. I have no need to stain the King's floors with human blood," replied the Clancer.

Samus threw a straight punch at him, causing him to dodge instinctively. He ducked under her attacked and uppercutted her 10 feet into the air. He followed through with a spin kick that sent her flying back to her original spot on the carpet. She cursed as she got to her feet again. There was blood dripping out of her mouth. That uppercut had caused her to bite her own tongue. She spat on the royal tiles as Teran clapped his knuckles together.

"We can do this all day," he said nobly.

"Both of you halt!" roared Aster.

The two fighters stopped and turned to his highness.

"There is no fighting in this room. You are both on the same side, so stop your senseless bickering. I've read over this issue several times. I have come to a decision. Samus, you will remain in this building until the remainder of the war."

"What?!" she shouted. "I have to go find Link!"

"He cannot be trusted now. If that letter was forged, then there's no doubt the Empire already have their hands on him. Given his reputation, they will most likely try to convert him to their cause. There s nothing we can do except move on. The plan remains as before. Sarie will be you companion as you train in the battle grounds. When you are ready to fight, you will join my troops on the front. Teran, you are to return to your former duties. This issue is now closed."

Aster sat down in his throne and waited for the two to react. The room was silent for a moment before Teran spoke up.

"Thank you, your majesty."

He turned to the door and left, some blood spots dripping onto the floor below him. Samus felt like crying, but she didn't. She was stronger than that. She wasn't about to let this jerk's words get the best of her. She didn't reply, but left from the side doors of the room. She wanted to go back to her room and clean up. She could feel the blood trying to escape her mouth. It hurt like a bitch, but she didn't show the pain.

"_I swear, I'm gonna beat that guy so hard one day. He won't even see it coming. It'll be a surprise. My gift to him. It's what I owe him for trying to get me and Link kicked out of the castle_."

She walked down the hallway, holding her hand up to her face. She passed by Sarie on the way.

"Hey, Samus. What happened?" she asked.

Samus didn't reply but sped past her. She couldn't even speak. She turned into her room and headed straight for the bathroom.

Unsurprisingly, the interior design of this room was strikingly similar to that of Link and Teran's room. She went to the sink and turned on the hot water.

She looked up at herself in the mirror and jumped. Had she been a little paler, she would have looked like a zombie from Raccoon City. That memory sent a shiver down her spine. The water in the sink soon started turning red as Samus washed her mouth out. She was afraid for Link. What if the King was right? What if the Empire did have him already and they were already interrogating him of what little information he knew? She pulled the ribbon out of her hair and allowed it to flow loosely over her shoulders.

She didn't want to stay in the castle. She wanted to help him. But any move that went against the King's orders would only heighten the suspicion cursed upon her. Her only option was to wait it out, and pray for Link's safety. She almost lost him to the dark in Raccoon City. She wasn't about to lose him again. But these idiots, these Clancers, kept getting in her way. And she wasn't even considering where Ike or Snake could be. What if they were captured by the Empire too? They could be torturing them. And she wouldn't be able to do anything. It was almost as if the entire planet was out to get her.

The only person she could relate to was Sarie. At least she was easy going. At least she would listen to her problems. She was the only hope Samus had of surviving on this planet. Unfortunately, all good things come with a price. It was just recently that Sarie had confessed to Samus that she was secretly in love with Teran. Samus of course couldn't believe or stomach this fact for a while. The irony in the whole situation was that Samus hated Teran. After going through that thing in the throne room, she was ready to fire his ass to the next moon. But now she had to be extra careful with how she treated Teran because of Sarie. Samus never understood why Sarie never told her this in the first place.

"_If you love a guy, just go out and tell him how you feel. Heck, that's how it started with me and Link_."

But Sarie was a different case. She was shy with Teran when telling him about how she really felt. That doubt if he really loved her back always lingered in the back of her head. It explains why she acts so outwardly towards the guy in an almost childlike manner. Teran didn't seem like the type of guy who would fall in love. He's too serious, too shallow for Samus' liking. And that was besides the fact that he was just a full out jerk. Samus also considered the possibility if he was racist against humans. The possibility was always there. Teran was too dedicated to his work. He always claimed that he served only the King and Princess. He had no time for fun things. Maybe that was the reason why he's so uptight with Samus and Link.

"_Sarie should really talk some sense into him. He might just listen to her_."

Samus grabbed a nearby towel and wiped her face. Her eyes got wide as she lowered the towel and looked back in the mirror. Sarie was standing behind her.

"Oh, Sarie, you startled me," said Samus as she placed the towel on the counter.

"Oh sorry," replied the Clancer. "I didn't mean to. Its just that you were...uh..."

"Bleeding. Yeah, no thanks to your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Oh, you mean Teran? He's not my-"

"I know, I just didn't know what to say. But yeah, he I got into a little fight. Nothing that some warm water won't fix," she said attempting to sound cheery.

Sarie looked surprised.

"What made him do such a thing?"

"Well, he thinks Link is working for the Empire now, and he suspects me of the same thing. We got into an argument and now, well, here I am."

"I'm sorry for what he did. I should have been there."

"You weren't part of the issue. Don't take the blame. You're not his mother. He should be able to take responsibility for his own actions."

"Yeah I guess you're right. What about Link? Is he really with the Empire?"

"Not working for them. But we believe he's been kidnapped by them. The stupid thing is, Aster's not allowing me to leave the castle grounds, otherwise he'll suspect me of siding with the Empire. I can't even go out there to save him."

"Oh my. That's bad."

"Tell me about it. I don't know what to do now. I feel so lost in this world. I wish I was back home, with all my friends."

"You know, you could always ask the Beast Sector if they could help?"

"Do you think they could?"

"Sure. If you take one of their ships, you could go rescue Link and be back before anyone even notices."

"Really? Would they let me borrow one of their ships?"

"There's only one way to find out. They should be in the training area. I'll introduce you. They shouldn't have a problem with you because, well, you are human like them."

"Okay. I'll need all the help I can get. Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The carrier landed smoothly on the clear grass. Link made no reaction as the troops stood and filed out of the room. Link and Angel were the only ones sitting on the transport. They sat there for a few minutes, staring each other down. Link was really feeling uncomfortable, at the same time fearing for his and Samus' safety. Hopefully, the King would let her off easy.

The Hylian twiddled his thumbs for a bit, noticing that his weapons were no longer in the room. The only thing he had was his ocarina, which he cleverly hid in his tunic. Angel adjusted the bird mask on his face and stood up, his white cape dangling. "Let's go," he said. Link hesitated, but felt himself being pulled to his feet by some unknown force. He wanted ask Angel some questions about the emeralds. But he felt intimidated by this man. He had a gun on him. That was the most advanced weapon Link had seen since he's been on this planet. He didn't need to put his life on the line again. But would he stand a chance fighting him one on one? Not likely. Link brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and crossed his arms.

"So, you mind telling me what you plan to do with me?" he asked calmly.

Angel paused and looked at the Hylian through his red glass eyes.

"You're coming with me," he replied plainly.

Angel turned to the door to jump out of the carrier. Link took the opportunity to attack while his back was turned. He threw a quick punch at the back of Angel's head, but somehow he anticipated it. Angel spun around quickly and caught the punch in mid air. Link didn't see it come so fast. Angel pulled him into him and flipped him over his head, sending him flying out the door and onto the hard ground 6 feet below. Link landed flat on his back, his head spinning.

"Ugh...How did you?..."

"Don't do that again."

Angel reached down, pulled him up to his feet and led him into the large castle-like building ahead. The soldiers stood guard in a straight line, allowing Link and Angel to pass right through. Link rubbed the back of his head as he walked next to Angel, not even bothering to look at him. He was surprised Angel was able to see his attack come. He didn't even make a sound. There was something about him that made Link uneasy. What made him uneasy the most was the fact that Angel was human. He was incredibly strong for his race, and his senses were finely tuned to everything that was going on around him. It made Link feel inferior to him, both as a fighter and as a person. But he fought back the fear inside him as best as he could.

Angel led him into the fortress, which was heavily guarded with soldiers and sentries. Clancers were armed with swords, some of them even carrying firearms similar to machine guns. They all wore black armor. Link was already impressed with the Empire's army. They seemed more organized, more prepared than the King's army. But the one quality Link noticed the most was the fact that these troops showed no sign of weakness or fear. They were built like machines. Each and every one he passed by gave him a stare down, causing him to revert his eyes to another who just did the same thing. He was now behind enemy lines.

A lone Clancer woman approached the pair in the corridor. She was rather tall for her race, and was wearing battle gear, similar to the ones worn by the other soldiers. Her most distinctive feature was her abnormally large eyes and lips. She gave a small giggle as she walked up to them.

"Well well, Angel, nice catch. Leo's going to very happy about this!" she squeaked.

Angel paused for a moment before looking at Link then turning back to the Clancer woman.

"Don't flatter me, Calina. I have a job to do. And I would really appreciate it if you just stand aside," replied Angel.

Link noticed how he emphasized on the words 'stand aside'.

Calina giggled again.

"Whatever you say, handsome."

She walked past the two, Link watching her as she left. Angel nodded his head in the opposite direction. Link got the message and continued to follow him through the corridors. The walls down the halls were dark, glaring in contrast to that of King Aster's castle. Even the floors were dark. Angel could be easily seen because if his white attire. A large set of red doors were up ahead. Link was almost certain he knew what was behind it.

"_No doubt, the leader of this clan_."

Angel tugged the barrier open with little difficulty and the two stepped in. Surprisingly, the room was empty of any soldiers. A large set of computers and control systems sat at the back of the room. A lone figure was sitting in the large seat in the middle of the room. Smoke could be seen rising from the figure's mouth. Another figure was standing nearby in the shadows.

"Ah, Angel, you've returned," said the man in the chair.

Link could tell he was an old guy judging from his voice. He was also smoking a cigar. Angel gestured for Link to step forward into the centre of the room. Link hesitated but complied when he realized he had no other options.

"Yes, sir. I have brought you the Green Warrior as promised. Now give me what I want," said Angel hurriedly.

Link's head rose at this. It seems that Angel and this man were not on very good speaking terms. The old man coughed in his seat before speaking.

"Are you sure this is the boy they were talking about?"

"One hundred percent, sir."

"Hm, I'm sure. Devil, what do you think?"

The tall figure in the shadows stepped into the light. He had a bird mask on his face, similar to that of Angel's. In fact, he looked almost exactly like Angel, except his cloak was black instead of white. Devil stood before Link and stared at him through the blue glass eyes of the mask. Link couldn't help but stare back helplessly. How would this guy know if he was the one they were looking for? Devil turned back to the old man and gave a slight nod. The old man coughed.

"Very good. What's your name, boy?" he said, nearly choking on his words.

Link was a bit nervous to answer, but he manage to get a hold of himself.

"My name is Link. I'm here to put an end to this war," he said bravely.

Angel interrupted the conversation.

"Leo! I brought you what you asked! Now give me what you promised!" he shouted.

Link glanced at Angel before turning back to the old man.

"_So this is the Leo that I've been hearing all about? It would do me better if I could just see his face_."

Leo leaned back in his seat before responding to Angel's remark.

"Oh yes. I nearly forgot about you, Angel. I have what you seek right here."

Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing green gem. Link recognized it immediately.

"_A Chaos Emerald! But...How_?"

Leo tossed it over Link's head and Angel caught it behind him, inspecting it before pocketing it.

"Thank you," he said as he turned and left the room.

"He really needs to learn how to be more patient," said Leo casually.

Link did not react to this. It appeared that Angel really was using the emeralds to return to his own planet. Why else would he want the emeralds? This whole situation just reminded Link about Sonic. Sonic was already searching the planet for the emeralds. How was he supposed to find them all if one of them were in the hands of the Empire? It was impossible.

"You have earned quite a reputation since you've been here, Green Warrior," said Leo. Link stood tall, not intimidated at all by this decrepit old man.

"I've destroyed two of your monsters so far. And nothing is going to stop me from killing off the rest," replied Link.

"I'm sure. Your fighting skills are impressive though. You've proved to be a real thorn in my side the past few hours you've been here."

"That was my intention."

"I know you've sided with the King's pathetic army. This war is already over. You've seen my troops. You've seen Aster's. Tell me, which side are you most impressed with?"

Link couldn't answer that honestly.

"I...I haven't seen the King's army yet. I know nothing about the Beast Sector."

Pause.

"Really now? Nothing about the Beast Sector? Well allow me to enlighten you. The Beast Sector is the King's entire army right there. His troops can't hold a candle to mine. It would take ten of his troops to take down one of mine. Throw the monsters into the mix, and, well, you can figure it out from there, heh heh."

"What do you plan on doing with me?"

"I was going to kill you, just to save myself the trouble of worrying about you. Then I decided to convert you to our side, but Angel wants to use you for his own deeds. I concur. He may take you under his wing until further notice. As long as you're not causing trouble with my monsters, you are no longer a threat to me. So, run along now."

"Wait...That's it?"

"What were you expecting? Janitorial duties?"

"No, but...Never mind. Thank you for your time."

"Don't thank me yet, kid."

Leo turned back to the computers behind him, signaling for Link to leave the room. Devil remained in the shadows, continuing to stare at the Hylian from afar. Link shrugged his shoulders before leaving the room.

"Oh, one more thing," said Leo without even turning to him.

Link stopped at the door.

"Try to escape, and my men will kill you."

He gave a small nod and exited the room. Angel was standing by the door on the outside, waiting for him. He was staring at the Hylian as he came out.

"What did he say?" asked Angel.

Link was now feeling more surprised then ever. A few minutes ago, Angel had threatened to kill him, now he wants to make conversation? Something was definitely going on here.

"Um, he says I have to go with you," replied Link.

Angel paused for a moment before responding.

"Really? Wow, I didn't think he would let you off that easily. Oh well, makes my job a lot easier."

"Now hold one a second, how come you're all happy now? Just earlier you were all serious. You pointed a gun at my head! Yet now, you're talking like we've known each other our entire lives!"

Some of the Clancers nearby stopped what they were doing when they heard Link's loud voice.

"Could you not be so loud? I'm trying to keep a low profile here," said Angel whispering.

"Low profile? What do you-"

"Look, I'm not who you think I am. Follow me, I'll explain everything."

Angel grabbed Link's wrist and pulled him into one of the side passages. His grip was unusually strong. He pulled him into a small storage room and slammed the door shut, locking it in the process. A small window outside allowed for some light to enter the room. A pile of heavy crates were stacked in the corner of the room. Link leaned against the side wall as Angel turned to him after inspecting the door.

"What exactly are we doing in here?" asked Link.

"Okay, this is how it's going to go down. You are going to help me find the Chaos Emeralds-"

"That's another thing. How do you know about the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Because if it wasn't for those damn things, I would still be at home right now."

"I knew it."

"You've figured it out already. I'm surprised Leo hasn't found out yet."

"How long have you been trapped here?"

"A few days, serving the Empire. I don't really care how this war turns out. I just want to get the hell out of here."

"So, you're just like me. I've been here for less than a day, and already that guy has something against me."

"I assume it was the Chaos Emeralds that got you trapped here too?"

"Yes. It was confusing, but somehow we ended up here. That is, me and some friends. There's five of us in total."

"I see. Well I got here all on my own. I don't know how it happened. One moment I'm lying on my couch taking a nap, the next, I'm lying in the middle of a grassy field. I've been all over the galaxy and I have no idea a planet like this existed."

"I hate space travel in general."

The both laughed at the joke. Link was starting to feel more comfortable around Angel now. It was good to know that there were some sane people on this planet.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Christopher Vennettilli of the UNSCDF."

They shook hands.

"I'm Link. Nice to meet you, Chris."

"Same here. Anyway, I've managed to obtain one of the Chaos Emeralds so far, as you already saw. Chris pulled the emerald out from his cloak to show the Hylian. It glowed emerald green in the palm of his hand.

"Great. I have a friend exploring the planet for the other emeralds right now. If we could find a way to meet up with him, we should have all the emeralds together in no time."

"Um, I'm afraid that won't work. Leo still has another emerald."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not sure. He doesn't know about the power they possess, though. He merely sees them as valuable jewels. That makes it easier for us to take it from him."

"Will he give it to you?"

"Only if I perform a certain task for him. He won't hand it over without getting something in return though. He promised me this one if I brought you to him."

"I see."

"Actually, I've been thinking about making a deal that he couldn't refuse."

"Like?"

"I was going to kidnap the princess in exchange for the emerald. He would definitely give it to us if we brought him a member of the royal family."

"We can't do that! The King is fighting for the future of this planet! We can't give Leo the princess. There's no way."

"That's the only plan I have so far unless you have a better one."

"I'll have to think about it. But what do we do now?"

"We locate the other emeralds. That's all we can do. But you have to promise me not to reveal our plans to anyone. Got it?"

"What about my friends? They have to know what's going on."

"Hm. In that case, we'll have to tell them. The sooner we get off this planet, the better."

"I can't leave until the Empire is destroyed."

"You can't? Why not?"

"I made a promise to myself. If we don't do something, the King will die. This whole planet will die."

There was a long pause.

"If you want to save this planet, that's entirely up to you. I'm just getting out of here as soon as I can. I'm low enough on bullets as it is. And I'm not sure how long it will be before Leo sees through my disguise."

"Alright. You just have to promise me you won't leave without me and my friends."

"Deal. Now come on. We have some emeralds to find."

Chris adjusted the mask and stepped out into the hall. Troops and soldiers were running about, arming themselves with weapons. Link nearly got run over by a stray Clancer.

"What's going on here?" asked Link.

"I'm not sure," replied Chris. "Hey, hold on a minute there!"

He put an arm out to stop a soldier who was running by.

"Soldier, what's happening?" asked Chris.

"Oh, Angel! Didn't you hear? Emperor Leo has ordered an attack on Esperance. We're going to end this battle once and for all," said he soldier.

With that, the soldier ran off to join his comrades. Link and Chris just stood there and stared into the distance. The Hylian was the first one to speak. His voice was muffled by the shouting, but it was audible by the masked man next to him.

"They'll kill them. We have to warn them."


	7. A Friend Indeed

After Dark: The Great Clancer War

**Author's Note:** Alright, I'm officially taking this story off my hold list and adding it to my list of to do's. FINALLY, I'm continuing with the freaking series. After waiting a few months since the completion of Into the Dark and After Dark: The Mansion Incident, I've come to the conclusion that Into the Dark was the more popular one of the two. As a result, I've decided to use the same writing style as I did in that story for this story. SO, don't expect to see many religious references, flashbacks, human growth, etc. The approach I took with Into the Dark was simple: each chapter I introduce a new monster or mission for the characters to go through, but the reader is never TRULY aware and assumes it to be part of the main plot. That is the way I plan for this story to be done. And also, as a side note, the reason why I'm taking this approach is because this story is supposed to set up for what I have planned for the final installment to the Dark Series. That being said, enjoy the continuation of After Dark: The Great Clancer War, and be sure to check out some of my other stories if you get the chance! ;)

And just to recap what happened so far: Link, Samus, Sonic, Ike and Snake were sent through time and space by means of Chaos Control. They supposedly land on planet Clance, home to the peace loving Clancers. The Clancers, however, are at civil war with each other, creating two main sides, the Resistance and the Empire. Link and Samus are recruited by the resistance where they meet many new people such as Sarie, Ron, Jistr, Tac, Teran, Princess Ondine and King Aster. Unfortunately, Teran, the Princess' bodyguard, is suspicious of Link and Samus for appearing out of no where and deciding to aid them in a time of need. Meanwhile, Marina and Professor Theo venture to the alien planet for a little visit. Also, Sonic searches around the entire planet for the missing Chaos Emeralds. Snake and Ike's whereabouts are unknown. Afterwards, Link receives a letter from a stranger named Angel, who frames him, saying that he has really sided with the evil Empire. When Teran finds the letter, all hell breaks loose and the Clancer attempts to arrest the poor Hylian with all his might. Link makes his escape and flees from the castle grounds, where he is then confronted by none other than Angel in person. Angel kidnaps Link and takes him back to Empire where he meets Emperor Leo, the man behind the cause of the war. After Leo gives Angel one of the Chaos Emeralds in his possession, he tells Link to take a hike and to not interfere with anymore of the Empire's plans. When the coast is clear, Angel pulls Link off to the side, revealing himself to really be a human named Chris Vennettilli, who was also transported to Clance by means of accidental Chaos Control. NOW, Link and Chris head back to the Resistance to tell King Aster about the Empire's plans, as well as hopefully find out some more information on the locations of Ike and Snake.

And remember, it's a Mischief Makers/Smash Bros/Resident Evil Crossover. Enjoy!

-

Chapter 7: A Friend Indeed

Link held on for dear life as he sped through the grassy plains. He really did underestimate the technology the Empire possessed. Chris hit a switch on the control panel, causing the Land Speeder to fly faster. The Clancer vehicle itself was small, hovering over the ground by a mere 2 feet. Link, sitting in the only passenger seat without any kind of seatbelt, had to make due with the side plating on the ship to hold on.

"Are you sure we're allowed to take one of these?" asked Link, trying to talk over the sound of the roaring engine.

Angel kept his hands on the steering and his eyes focused on the front.

"What?!" he shouted in reply, the wind blowing his cloak up into the air.

"Are you sure we're allowed to take one of these!?" replied Link loudly.

Chris nodded.

"Yeah! Don't worry, this girl belongs to me! I take her out all the time! Now which way to the castle?"

"Don't you know!?"

"Not really!"

"Look up ahead! See it over there!?"

Chris winced at the small grey object in the distance.

"Oh yeah! I see it!" The human pulled on a small lever, causing the Speeder to slow down slightly, muffling the annoying sound. "So you got here because of those emeralds too huh?" he asked.

Link watched the world go by for a moment before turning to the human.

"Huh? Oh yeah, the Chaos Emeralds. I'm not really sure how they work; a friend of mine had to get them started before we could go anywhere. Actually, the whole point in using the Chaos Emeralds was to get back home. It's kind of ironic in a way," replied the Hylian. "Recently, my friends and I came out of a huge crisis. We are still trying to recover from it. This whole incident with the time travel and the aliens is just so much on my plate right now..." Link looked at Chris who was giving him an awkward stare. "Oh sorry! I got kind of side tracked! Ahem. Basically, like I said earlier, I'm here by accident. All I want to do is help these people out as soon as I can."

"Don't worry, I understand. I guess it is smarter to befriend the Clancers than to make enemies."

"Heh. Yeah."

In truth, Link was only helping these aliens because he feared that something like Raccoon City was going occur again. Of course, he didn't plan on telling anyone about this; not even Samus.

"As strange as this may sound, I'm here for the same reason as you, Link," said Chris all of a sudden.

"Really? How come?"

"I just want to get back home."

Link nodded at his response.

"I see. Well don't worry too much. I think that as long as we stick together, we'll make it back home to Earth. You're from Earth right?"

"Um. Yes, in a manner of speaking. I've been traveling all over the place actually. But Earth will forever be my one true home. I'd rather not go into details though. No offense, but you don't seem like the type of guy who can follow a story like mine."

"If it's about space travel, aliens or large mechanical ships, then I probably won't."

"Ha ha. Okay, thanks for the warning."

"But Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"How much do you know about zombies?"

Chris paused for a moment, but kept his eyes focused on the distant castle.

"Zombies? What are you pulling my leg or something?" he asked, a bit of humor on his tongue.

Link retained a serious expression.

"I'm not joking around here. Tell me the truth."

Chris glanced at him sharply.

"What do you mean zombies? Do you mean like, 'rise from the dead' kind of zombies?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. As far as I'm concerned, zombies aren't real. Never seen one."

Link looked down and twiddled his thumbs, a bit embarrassed. If he really thought about it, that was a stupid question. What were the odds of anyone knowing anything about the T-Virus or zombies in general?

"I've seen them..." muttered the Hylian.

Chris coughed out a laugh.

"Really? Do you mind telling me about them?" he asked.

"I don't know, it's complicated. Do you know what it's like to see people being torn apart before your own eyes? To constantly smell and feel the blood in the air? How much it hurts to have razor sharp claws dig into your own skin?"

Link started to trail off as he stared out at the far off mountains. Chris' attention was immediately drawn as Link's voice became softer and softer.

"Sorry, Link, but I don't really know. But..."

"..."

"But don't think you're special because you've stared up at death's eye. I've seen enough bloodshed to last a lifetime. Whatever burns at your heart, believe me, I can relate. Blood thirsty zombies, rampant aliens of destruction, hell they're all the same to me."

Link looked up at him bearing a sad expression.

"Aliens of destruction. I guess that's one way you can put it."

"I know what will make you feel better. I think it's about time I told you my end of the story."

From then on until they reached the castle, Chris told Link about all his past adventures and travels. The Hylian learned that they had a lot more in common than it seemed. Apparently, Chris was also fighter of justice. He had seen many forms of life on his journey, from the gentle nature of the Mobians all the way to the tyrannical brutality of the Overmind. to Chris, the Mobians were like "humans' best friends" because the two races had formed an alliance and fought alongside each other during great battles. He told tales of ancient parasitic-like creatures that consumed all forms of sentient life, very much similar to Raccoon City's T-Virus. Chris also made the assumption that the Chaos Emeralds had sent both him and Link to the past due to the Clancers' primitive structures and weapons. Although, it still made him wonder how they possessed the technology for levitating vehicles and Time Rifts. It seemed that not even a master of puzzles like Link would be able to figure this one out.

"Wait, if you know the Mobians," interrupted Link, "then wouldn't that mean you know Sonic?"

Chris' face seemed to have lit up at the sound of the hedgehog's name.

"Sonic? You know Sonic?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, actually, he's one of my friends who are trapped here on the planet."

"Sonic never told me about you before. I wonder if that could really be..."

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing. But this is perfect! If Sonic's here, then he should be able to use Chaos Control and get us all back home!"

"I know. But he needs all the emeralds first, remember?"

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard for him. He's done it before. This time shouldn't be any different."

Link raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

Chris smirked at him.

"When we get to the castle, we're going to organize the King's army. Then, we'll assault the Empire's base. From there, we kill Leo and get back the stolen Chaos Emerald. We find your friends, we grab Sonic, and boom! We're home! Sounds simple eh?"

Link was surprised at how fast the soldier had conjured this plan.

"I guess that's one way to put it. In simple terms..."

"Trust me on this one. We'll be fine."

"Ah! It feels so good to stretch my legs again!" said Marina Liteyears as she exercised the muscles in her joints.

Professor Theo stepped out of the space-ship-house and took a deep breath.

"The air is unusually clean here. Exactly how I remember it!" he exclaimed.

Marina walked over to him and started glancing around at the grassy plain.

"So, you think they'll remember us?" she asked.

"What kind of question is that? Of course they'll remember us! They better especially since we saved their home from being annihilated!"

"You mean, I saved their planet from being annihilated."

"I was a witness. I have my rights."

"Whatever. Come on, lets get to the castle while it's still daytime. We shouldn't surprise them too much."

The two friends gave each other a smile and a nod before trekking through the field. Overhead, various clouds of white stared down at them with blank faces, but this was no surprise to the professor nor the fighter. However, there was one very distinct feature about the blue sky in the distance.

"What's that black thing over there?" asked Marina as she pointed at a far off Time Rift.

Professor Theo adjusted his glasses and squinted at the portal.

"Hm... Wait, what are you pointing at?" he replied.

Marina grabbed his shirt and shoved him in the direction of the Rift.

"Over there! That black thing in the sky! Jeez, you're so blind!"

Theo squinted again before finally noticing the strange occurrence.

"Oh, over there? It looks like a portal of some sort. Like a gateway to another dimension."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. It sounds pretty cool, actually!"

Theo broke free from Marina's grasp and started bumbling toward the Time Rift, unaware of the evil it possessed. With a sigh, the Intergalactic Cybot G sighed and followed her creator through the plain. After a few minutes, Theo and Marina were standing directly below the large purple mass. Black lightning bolts seemed to be flashing in the Rift.

"Amazing. I didn't know the Clancers had the technology to make something as sophisticated as this," he said, attempting to study the Time Rift from beneath it.

Marina looked around, realizing that she and the professor were the only ones in the grassy field.

"Yeah," she said. "It's almost too good..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Theo as he turned to his assistant.

"Don't you find it suspicious that the Clancers would just leave this thing lying around? I mean, look at it. Lightning sparks? Demonic Aura? Even if they did make this, don't you think they would be near to supervise... whatever it is?" she asked.

The professor stared back up at the portal and stroked his thick beard.

"Hm. Yes, now that you mention it, it does seem pretty fishy. Maybe it's just a strange weather occurrence?" he said.

"In the middle of the day on a clear sky?"

"Okay, so it's not the weather."

"I have a bad feeling about this. Let's get to the castle and find the King. Maybe he could tell us something about this thing."

"Good idea. Glad I thought of it."

"Whatever."

Just as the two companions were about to make their leave, they were suddenly interrupted by what sounded like a loud horn. The bugle noise rung out throughout the land, causing Marina and the professor to shield their ears.

"What's that noise!?" she shouted over the sounded of the horn.

"Ugh! I don't know!" replied Theo.

The sound lasted several seconds before dying down. The field became deathly silent for a few moments.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," whispered Marina as she started to back away from the Time Rift.

"Why are we whispering?" replied Theo quietly as he crouched slightly.

The silence was soon shattered by a screech which sounded like a large bird of some sort. The sounded echoed through the overhead portal and bounced off the two friends' eardrums, causing them to cover their ears again.

"Aw what now?!" cried Marina.

The sound was so loud, Theo couldn't even reply. The ground below his feet felt as if it were breaking apart. Quickly, he fell over onto his side, keeping his ears covered. Marina looked up to see that the echoing screeches had come from the Time Rift.

Large black birds started flying out of the portal, scattering off into different directions. Hundreds emerged, bearing red eyes and black talons, along with menacingly sharp beaks. The cawed and cried, spreading out into the distance, painting the once blue sky an eerie shade of black. Some of the birds entering from the portal noticed Marina and Theo.

"What's going on here?!" Marina cried as she took her hands off her head. One of the birds dive bombed her, claws out stretched. She immediately reacted and flipped backwards, narrowly dodging the attack. Other birds swooped down as well, forcing Marina to dodge left and right. "Argh! I need my guns!" she yelled as she ducked under another swiping attack.

The birds had stopped emerging from the Time Rift at this point, but three of them hovered nearby, preparing to strike the humans. The rest of the mob had flown off into the distance. Marina stared up at the red eyes of death, contemplating what to do.

"This can't be!" she said. "We cleansed this planet years ago! I've never even seen these monsters before!"

"Tell me when it's over!" cried Theo as he crouched down on the ground and covered his head.

Marina glanced at him.

"You expect me to fight these things without a weapon!?"

"It's your job to protect me!"

"I won't be able to protect you if I'm dead!" she replied as she looked back at the trio of monsters.

The bird in the middle of the pack cawed, followed by another dive bomb attack. Marina had no choice but to dodge again. Just as she was about to recover, a the second bird swooped down and clawed at her. She dove to the ground, barely missing the sharp claws of the monster. She was wide open to the third bird, but the last monster took a different approach. The final bird screeched and swooped down towards the professor, picking him up in both of its talons.

Professor Theo kicked and struggled to get free, but failed due to the bird's superior strength.

"Professor!" cried Marina.

She made an attempt to jump at the bird, but another one had rammed her in mid-air, knocking her to the ground. The third bird lifted Theo high up into the air, the other two following it.

"Help me!" cried the captured Theo.

Marina could only watch helplessly as the monsters made off with her creator. The birds flew away in the same direction as the rest of the mob.

"MARINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa!!"

His voice soon became silent, as did the rest of the world. Marina laid on the grass, staring up at the blank clouds.

"Professor..." she said, tears almost coming to her eyes.

She soon bore an expression of anger and stood tall.

"Don't worry, Professor. I'll save you. Mark my words, I'll get you back. Somehow..."

With one last look at the Time Rift, Marina Liteyears sped off in the direction of the castle. She prayed that the Clancers would know something about what was going on with the planet.

"Did you hear something?" asked Link to his travel companion.

Chris glanced at him before looking back at the approaching castle.

"No. Why?" he replied.

Link shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, I thought I heard something. It sounded like a horn."

"A horn? You serious?"

"Maybe the heat is getting to me."

Link pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes, allowing it to blow in the passing wind. His attention went back to the grassy scenery zooming by.

"Ah don't sweat it. Look, we're almost at the castle. That ought to cheer you up."

"A little bit," Link said with a nod.

The Speeder flew a bit farther before stopping in front of the castle gates. A lone Clancer guard with blue armor was standing atop the entrance.

"The Green Warrior has returned!" he hollered to the others behind the wall.

"Well don't just stand there! Let him in! The King wants to speak with him!" replied an unknown voice on the other side.

The lone guard glanced down at the Hylian and the human before turning back.

"There's a mysterious man in white accompanying him!" he said.

"Just open the damn gate!"

"Alright alright, calm down."

The guard pulled a nearby lever, allowing the gates to open and the Speeder to cruise right in.

A large group of Clancers immediately ambushed the vehicle, pointing large metal spears at the foreigners. Chris slowed the Speeder down to a stop before the gates closed behind him. Link stared around at the spear-bearing aliens.

"Hey guys, what's going on? Um, what's with the spears?" he asked.

Some Clancers stepped forward, causing Link and Chris to flinch and put their hands up. They both gave each other nervous glances.

"So, these are your friends I assume?" said Chris, gritting his teeth.

"I thought they were. Did something happen while I was gone, guys?" replied Link.

None of the aliens made any reply, but kept their spears raised.

"Stand down. Let me speak with him."

Link and Chris turned to the sound of the voice; it was Teran. Soldiers moved out of the way as the BLOCKMAN made his way up to the vehicle. The Hylian frowned at the Clancer.

"Teran. What happened to your face?" he asked. Teran felt the large bruise near his mouth before responding.

"You can thank Samus for that. Link, the King and I would like to speak with you, personally. Follow me. Now."

The Clancer turned around and walked off. Link and Chris exchanged another glance before exiting the vehicle and following the BLOCKMAN.

Teran shoved through the large doors of the throne room and bowed before the King.

"Sire! Link has returned! And he has brought a friend along with him!" he said before standing up tall.

Link and Chris stood behind the Clancer pensively. King Aster rose from his seat to get a better look at the Hylian.

"Ah, indeed he has. But for what reason? I thought that you had sided with the Empire, or so Teran had told me," he said.

"I figured as much, you majesty," replied Link with a glance at Teran. "But believe me, the last thing I want to do is become your enemy. True, I had been captured and taken behind enemy lines, but I managed to escape, thanks to my friend, Chris here."

Chris nodded his head with a smirk, causing Aster to raise an eyebrow.

"More humans are there? I assume you were held prisoner too, Chris?" asked the King.

"Yes, your majesty," replied the space traveller. "I am in debt to Link for saving me from my cell and bringing me back here to the side of justice. If there is anything I can do to aid you in battle, please let me know."

Obviously, he was lying but it was just the thing he needed to get the King to feel sorry for him.

Teran took a step forward out of irritation.

"Now wait just a second here! Sire, this man tried to kill me!" he said as he pointed at Link. "He joined the Empire's side and now you are accepting him again like nothing happened! Or do you forget that he could be a spy?"

Link glared at Teran.

"Who are you to point fingers? You don't even know me!" he said.

"Oh, I know all about you alright. I know that you're a lying little rat who won't stop poking his nose in places where it doesn't belong!"

Link was about to draw his sword, but was stopped when he felt a warm hand grasp his shoulder.

"Let me handle this," said Chris. "Your majesty, if I may intrude, I have an idea about what the Empire is planning."

The King's eyes seemed to light up at Chris' proposition, causing him to sit back down and lean forward a bit.

"Go on, son," replied the King.

Chris stepped in between Link and Teran to cut off all eye sight from each other.

"Like Link, I myself have wound up here due to some supernatural power of some sort. How and why it happened, I'm not really sure. Emperor Leo's troops found me wandering the surface of this planet before taking me in and bringing me back to full health. Leo told me of an evil that plagued Clance, led by a notorious King named Aster. He said that it is because of King Aster that nature and machine are at war, and the only way for the world to live and prosper is to destroy the source of this evil. Leo used me for reconnaissance missions to find out any information on the King of his daughter. Coincidentally, more humans started to appear on Clance thereafter. As a result, my new duty was to recruit as many fighters to the Emperor's side as I could. Turns out, Link and his friends were fighting on the true side of justice, while my mind had been clouded by misconceptions. Thanks to Link, I managed to talk myself out of helping the Empire and come over to the Resistance." Chris got down on one knee and bowed his head solemnly. "Now, if you will only accept me as a soldier, I'm sure I could prove to you how much potential I have."

King Aster nodded his head as he took in all this newly-found information.

"I see...so Leo had been on top of us the whole time..."

Teran's mouth just dropped as he listened to the human's introduction.

"What!? You can't be serious, sire! Even if this boy's story was true, how can you trust someone who had been previously working on the side of evil?!" he said.

Chris did not move, but kept his eyes focused on the red carpet beneath his feet.

"And if my services don't prove enough to meet your standards, please feel free to kill me," he said calmly.

Link made no outward reaction but cursed to himself after hearing Chris' last statement.

"_Dammit! Wrong move, Chris! Teran will use that to his advantage if this keeps up! Why did you have to say that_?"

"Sir, I think what Chris is trying to say is-"

Link was cut off as the King raised his hand.

"Don't worry, Link. I know exactly what he's trying to say. He wants our trust, and in return, he is willing to give his own to the kingdom."

Link backed down in relief; it was good to know Aster was a peaceful King.

"Sire," started Teran, "if I may-"

"Do not burden yourself, BLOCKMAN. We need all the allies we can get right now."

"Um. Yes. I...I see."

"Chris, thank you very much for the information. And yes, I would be more than happy if you joined our side to rid this planet of the dreaded Empire."

Chris rose to his feet and dusted off his white cloak.

"Thank you, your majesty."

"So, is that it then?" asked Link.

"Indeed it is. Teran, take these two down to the training grounds. Introduce them to the Beast Sector. Prepare them for the fight that lies ahead."

"Sire, surely there is another-"

"That's an order."

Teran's head sank as he turned to face the two earthlings. Link and Chris both gave a smug smirk to the Clancer. It seemed that they had won this round.

"Yes. Yes, your majesty."

-

**Author's Note:** Review please. ;)


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